The breastbone
Sternum · sternum
The flat bone in the middle of your chest where the ribs meet at the front.
What it does
The breastbone is a flat, dagger-shaped bone at the front of your chest. The upper ribs connect to it through flexible cartilage, closing the ribcage at the front and shielding the heart behind it. Its three parts, the handle, the body and a small tip, slowly fuse together during adult life.
Surprising fact
The little tip at the bottom of the breastbone, the xiphoid process, is cartilage in children and often doesn't fully turn into bone until around middle age.
Why it matters
Chest compressions in CPR push down on the lower half of the breastbone to squeeze the heart against the spine. Knowing where it is could help you save a life.
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Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.