Our
heart is a pump that keeps blood moving around our body. It delivers oxygen and
nutrients to all parts of our body, and carries away unwanted carbon dioxide
and waste products. As our heart muscle contracts, it pushes blood through our
heart. With each contraction, or heartbeat:
- Our heart pumps blood forward from its left side, through the aorta (the main artery leaving the heart) and into the arteries. Blood from the right side is pumped to our lungs.
