George Washington University Heart & Vascular Institute

Help lead the fight against cardiovascular disease. learn more...

An adult heart is about the size of two intertwined fists.

Each day an average heart beats 100,000 times and pumps 2,000 gallons of blood.

During a lifetime, the heart will pump 1 million barrels of blood.

A heart will beat 2.5 billion times in an 80-year life.

The body contains 60,000 miles of blood vessels.

Every year since 1900 (with the exception of 1918) heart disease has killed more Americans than any other disease.

Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the United States.

Heart disease kills more Americans than all forms of cancer combined.

1 out of every 5 deaths in the United Stated is the result of coronary heart disease.

More than 40 percent of African American adults have cardiovascular disease.

1.2 million people per year will experience a heart attack.

38 percent of people who experience a heart attack will die as a result.

About 7.9 million Americans have survived a heart attack.

13 million Americans have coronary artery disease.

50 percent of men and 64 percent of women who die suddenly of heart disease have no prior symptoms.

Normal blood pressure in adults is 120/80 mm Hg or less.

More than 65 million Americans older than age 20 have high blood pressure.

72 million Americans have high blood pressure.

66 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.

The No. 1 preventable cause of heart disease is cigarette smoking.

More than 300,000 Americans per year die as a result of sudden cardiac arrest.

About 95 percent of sudden cardiac arrest patients die before reaching the hospital.

CPR can double or triple a sudden cardiac arrest patient's chance of survival.

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Contact

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For more information about the Institute, contact:

Jessica Johnson
Executive Director
202-741-3057
jjohnson@mfa.gwu.edu

To schedule an appointment with a physician, contact the GW Medical Faculty Associates:

Division of Cardiology
202-741-2323

Division of Vascular Surgery
202-741-3210