Five Frightening Facts of the Heart
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Five Frightening Facts of the Heart
This Halloween season, get your blood pumping with these fun and frightening facts of the heart.
The human heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood a day. That’s about 1.5 gallons a minute!
The heart can continue beating even when it’s disconnected from the body.
“The heart does not need a brain, or a body for that matter, to keep beating. The heart has its own electrical system that causes it to beat and pump blood. Because of this, the heart can continue to beat for a short time after brain death, or after being removed from the body. The heart will keep beating as long as it has oxygen (Rettner, 2014).”
The very first open-heart-surgery was performed in 1893 by Daniel Hale Williams, one of the few Black Cardiologists in the United States at the time.
According to Jackson State University, In the summer of 1893, Dr. Williams became the first surgeon to perform open-heart surgery on a living human. Dr. Williams performed the surgery at the Provident Hospital.
The operation was done without X-rays, antibiotics, surgical prep-work, or tools of modern surgery. Dr. Williams’ skills placed him and Provident Hospital at the fore-front of one of Chicago’s medical milestones. His patient, James Cornish, survived. After a bar fight went terribly wrong, Cornish found himself, perhaps by fate, in the care of Dr. Williams. He was discharged 51 days after his remarkable surgery.
The earliest known case of heart disease was identified in the remains of a 3,500-year-old Egyptian mummy.
National Geographic wrote an article in 2011 with the discovery of a mummified princess who researchers believe died of heart disease. The article states: “...Ahmose Meryet Amon, the princess lived some 3,500 years ago and died in her 40s. She was entombed at the Deir el-Bahri royal mortuary temple on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to the city of Luxor. Ahmose Meryet Amon—’Child of the Moon, Beloved of Amun’—had blockages in five major arteries, including those that supply blood to the brain and heart, said study co-leader Gregory Thomas, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Irvine(Owen, 2011).”
“If the princess was in a time machine and I was to see her now, I would tell her to lay off the fat, [get] plenty of exercise, then schedule her for heart surgery[.]”
It is rumored that most heart attacks happen on a Monday.
Just another manic Monday, or something more? Mondays can be a source of dread after the freedom of a weekend and society puts so much pressure on that particular day of the week (i.e. starting goals, work outs, habits etc.). Some research suggests that the stress of Monday can trigger heart attacks in some people. Though this may only include people with pre existing heart conditions, it’s still a good idea to calm yourself, organize your day and do your best not to allow stress to take over.
If you find yourself experiencing some frightening heart moments, the Cardiology department at Campbell County Health is here for you. Our highly skilled, board certified cardiologists at the Campbell County Medical Group Cardiovascular Services clinic are here at all times to care for patients and our cardiac cath lab allows us to provide care quickly during an emergency.
Call today at 307.688.3700 or visit our website for more information.
References
24 Fun Facts About the Heart. (2017, July 6). Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/fun-facts-about-the-heart#The-takeaway
Dunn, R. R. (2015). The man who touched his own heart true tales of science, surgery, and mystery. New York Little, Brown And Company.
Owen, J. (2011, April 15). Egyptian Princess Mummy Had Oldest Known Heart Disease. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/110415-ancient-egypt-mummies-princess-heart-disease-health-science
Rettner, R. (2014, March 28). Heart of the Matter: 7 Things to Know About Your Ticker. Livescience.com; Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/44460-heart-facts.html
Who Was Dr. Daniel Hale Williams? – Jackson Heart Study Graduate Training and Education Center. (n.d.). Www.jsums.edu. https://www.jsums.edu/gtec/dr-daniel-hale-williams/#:~:text=In%201893%2C%20Dr
