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You are in: Home > Heart Information > How The Heart Works > Pumping Action Of The Heart

Pumping Action Of The Heart

One heartbeat is a single cycle in which your Heart ’s chambers contract (squeeze) and relax to pump blood.

At rest the normal heart beats approximately 60 – 80 times per minute i.e. approximately 100,000 times a day! This increases when you exercise.

To ensure an adequate blood supply to the whole body the four chambers of the heart have to pump regularly and in sequence.

There are two phases to the heart's pumping cycle:

• Systole: this is when the heart contracts, pushing blood out of the chambers
• Diastole: the period between contractions when the muscle of the heart (myocardium) relaxes and the chambers fill with blood

What can go wrong with the pumping action?

There are some conditions which can lead to damage to the heart muscle, making it weak and unable to pump as efficiently as before.

For example:

• High blood pressure
• Heart valve problems
• Heart attack
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

When the heart muscle can not meet the body’s demands for blood and oxygen the body develops a range of different symptoms. When this happens it is referred to as heart failure because of the failure of the heart to work efficiently.

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