How Do The Lungs & Heart Work Together?

Written By: OxiMedical

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March 12, 2021

The heart and lungs work together to make sure the body has the oxygen-rich blood it needs to function properly.

On the right of your heart you have the Pulmonary Loop which picks up blood from the body that is low in oxygen and moves it to the lungs for cleaning and re-oxygenating. On the left side of your heart is the Systemic Loop which takes the re-oxygenated blood from your lungs and moves it throughout your body. This allows all your body parts to receive the oxygen they need.

Because of the close connection between the heart and lungs, breathing problems can be caused by issues in either the heart or lungs, or both. Symptoms of a heart/lung condition can include: Unexplained shortness of breath, low oxygen levels, chest pain, near-fainting/fainting, palpitations, heart failure. If something doesn’t seem right with your breathing, go see a doctor.

Interesting heart/lung facts:

Our heart beats 1000,000 per day
We have 1500 miles of airways
We take 15 to 25 breaths per minute
It takes 16 seconds for blood to travel from the heart to the toes and back

For people who have conditions which prevent their lungs from absorbing enough oxygen to re-oxygenate their blood, an oxygen concentrator is needed to provide supplemental oxygen. If you require supplemental oxygen, we recommend these portable oxygen concentrators.