How many inches of stab wound will reach the heart?

Answer 1

The heart is just under the ribs starting behind the breast bone and extending to the left to about the nipple. The area just under the left chest muscle is just about the closest the heart gets to the chest surface at about one inch through the ribs. If you go through the sternum it is about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch but that bone is really hard. If you go through the chest muscle and ribs it will depend on how thick the muscle or breast is - usually three inches. From the back it is usually four to five inches just next to the shoulder blade.