The heart is a fist-sized muscle that pumps five to six quarts of oxygenated blood and nutrients to the body’s tissues each minute. The heart itself receives its blood supply from a network of vessels called the coronary arteries. In coronary heart disease, the most common and fatal type of heart disease, plaque develops in the arteries of the heart, partially or completely blocking the flow of blood. The blockage can lead to a heart attack or a cardiac arrest, in which the heart suddenly stops beating. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in this country.

Source: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute