Watch CBS News

Fun Facts About Your Cardiovascular System

By Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Correspondent

Eye-Popping Fun Facts about the heart and Vascular System

From the CardioVascular Institute's Heartmail eletter

  • During the average lifetime, a heart pumps 1 million barrels of blood, enough to fill more than 3 super tankers.
  • The heart pumps about 100 gallons of blood through the body each hour – enough to fill 1,600 drinking glasses.
  • The heart pumps blood to almost all of the body's 75 trillion cells. Only the corneas receive no blood supply.
  • A newborn baby has about one cup of blood in circulation. An adult human has about four to five quarts.
  • Your heart doesn't stop when you sneeze, but a sneeze can briefly change its rhythm.
  • Blood takes about 20 seconds to circulate through the entire vascular system.
  • Three years after a person stops smoking, their chance of having a heart attack is the same as a lifelong non-smoker.
  • The first heart pacemakers plugged into wall sockets.
  • Blood makes up 7 % of your body weight.
  • Every year, your heart beats approximately 35 million times. That is 100,000 beats per day and 70 beats per minute.
  • In just one day, the heart creates enough energy to drive a truck 20 miles. During an average lifetime, that is equivalent to driving to the moon and back.
  • The use of CPR dates all the way back to 1740, yet even today, most Americans don't know how to perform it.

Above content provided by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. For advice about your medical care, consult your doctor.

Posted February 2017

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.