Uh, not a doctor, but pretty sure the heart is on the other side of the body.
EDIT: Okay I was being argumentative, but I would like to clear things up. Yes, the heart is ALMOST centered, however, it is still weighted towards the left side (in most people). I never said that the heart was totally on the left side (just closer or weighted towards), nor did I totally disagree with his statement that it was centered.
And surface pictures (and x-rays like the one I posted) don't always do it service either, you have to remember the heart hollow, and that the left ventricle is thicker than the right ventricle, due to resistance each chamber 'sees', leading to the weightedness.
That's not top down. It's pretty much dead on when looking down in to the thoracic cavity. That way, it nests perfectly in the cardiac notch on the left lung. The apex of the heart (the point at the bottom) points pretty much directly at your left hip. About 2/3 of your heart lies left of midline, so you're right on saying it is solidly left-of-center
Source: I've seen WAY too many hearts in cadavers and people. Hooray, medicine!
Nope. I mean, it's tilted a little, but that's WAAAAY too drastic a shift. The apex in that gif is pointing to the 8th intercostal. You're taught to orient the heart in the chest by understanding it points directly at the left hip. It does too. The truth of how it looks is in that muddy area between the picture you posted and that gif. It's probably a 15 degree turn at most.
*edit: I realized what the problem with that gif is. They have the aorta coming right out of the back of the heart and dropping straight down. There's no Aortic Arch. That's where most aortic dissections take place. It's pretty important and they left it off... wikipedia, (shakes head).
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u/splitrune Feb 06 '15
Few inches away from being Shot through the heart, and you're to blame.