Cardiovascular System
Lesson overview
The circulatory system (cardiovascular system) pumps blood from the heart to the lungs to get
oxygen. The heart then sends oxygenated blood through arteries to the rest of the body. The
veins carry oxygen-poor blood back to the heart to start the circulation process over. Your
circulatory system is critical to healthy organs, muscles and tissues.
Learning objectives
•Learn about the function of the circulatory
system or cardiovascular system..
•Identify the function of the circulatory system.
•Recite the part of the different circulatory
system.
Keywords
Circulatory system, Circulation
Introduction 10
min
Your heart pumps blood to the body through a network of
arteries and veins (blood vessels). Your circulatory system can
also be defined as your cardiovascular system. Cardio means
heart, and vascular refers to blood vessels.
Function
What does the circulatory system do?
The circulatory system’s function is to move blood throughout the
body. This blood circulation keeps organs, muscles and tissues healthy
and working to keep you alive.
The circulatory system also helps your body get rid of waste products.
This waste includes:
•Carbon dioxide from respiration (breathing).
•Other chemical byproducts from your organs.
•Waste from things you eat and drink.
ANATOMY PHYSIOLOGY
Transports blood throughout
Heart the body
Blood vessels: arteries, Arteries move blood away
veins, capillaries from the heart
Blood Veins move blood back to the
heart
Physiology of circulatory system 5
min
How does the circulatory system work?
Your circulatory system functions with the help of blood vessels that include arteries, veins and capillaries.
These blood vessels work with your heart and lungs to continuously circulate blood through your body. Here’s how:
The heart’s bottom right pumping chamber (right ventricle) sends blood that’s low in oxygen (oxygen-poor blood)
to the lungs. Blood travels through the pulmonary trunk (the main pulmonary artery).
Blood cells pick up oxygen in the lungs.
Pulmonary veins carry the oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart’s left atrium (upper heart chamber).
The left atrium sends the oxygenated blood into the left ventricle (lower chamber). This muscular part of the
heart pumps blood out to the body through the arteries.
As it moves through your body and organs, blood collects and drops off nutrients, hormones and waste products.
The veins carry deoxygenated blood and carbon dioxide back to the heart, which sends the blood to the lungs.
Your lungs get rid of the carbon dioxide when you exhale.
Type of blood cells
Red Blood Cells White Blood Cells Platelets
PURPOSE OF RED BLOOD CELLS
What Is the Function of Red Blood
Cells?
Red blood cells carry oxygen from
our lungs to the rest of our bodies. Then
they make the return trip, taking carbon
dioxide back to our lungs to be exhaled.
PURPOSE OF WHITE BLOOD CELLS
White blood cells are part of the body's
immune system. They help the body
fight infection and other diseases.
Types of white blood cells are
granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils,
and basophils), monocytes, and
lymphocytes (T cells and B cells)..
PURPOSE OF Platelets
Their primary function is to prevent
and stop bleeding. If a blood vessel is
damaged, the body sends signals to
platelets which cause them to travel to
the injured area. Once the platelets
arrive at the site, they clump together
to form a clot that helps stop bleeding
Anatomy of the heart 5
min
The heart wall consists of three layers enclosed in the
pericardium:
• Epicardium - the outer layer of the wall of
the heart and is formed by the visceral layer
of the serous pericardium.
• Myocardium - the muscular middle layer of
the wall of the heart and has excitable
tissue and the conducting system.
• Endocardium .
A middle concentric layer
A subendocardial layer.
•.
Anatomy of the heart 50
min
The heart is subdivided by septa into right and left halves, and a constriction subdivides each half of the
organ into two cavities, the upper cavity being called the atrium, the lower the ventricle. The heart, therefore,
consists of four chambers:
o right atrium
o left atrium
o right ventricle
o left ventricle
Anatomy of the heart 50
min
It is best to remember the four chambers and four valves in order of the series that blood travels through the
heart:
•Venous blood returning from the body drains
into the right atrium via the SVC, IVC and
coronary sinus
•The right atrium pumps blood through the
tricuspid valve into the right ventricle
•The right ventricle pumps blood through the
pulmonary semilunar valve into the pulmonary
trunk to be oxygenated in the lungs
•Blood returning from the lungs drains into the
left atrium via the four pulmonary veins
•The left atrium pumps blood through the
bicuspid (mitral) valve into the left ventricle
•The left ventricle pumps blood through the
aortic semilunar valve into the
ascending aorta to supply the body.
4 Chambers of the Heart
Effects of Physical
Activity/Exercise
• Physical activity not only raises good HDL cholesterol but also reduces the dreaded
triglycerides. This has the ever so important effect of keeping the blood in your
circulatory or cardiovascular system flowing smoothly through your arteries and your
veins.
• In the short-term, an athlete's blood pH actually becomes more acidic, and
carbon dioxide is expelled at a more rapid pace. The heart rate also increases and
the blood flow to the skin increases. We have all seen an athlete's face turn red
during the exertion of strenuous physical activity. The bottom line is that, in the
short-term, oxygen is rushed to the working muscles, and fuel is delivered to the
body tissues.
• In the long-term, however, the athlete's heart rate actually goes down, not up.
We have heard about Tour de France cyclists having resting heart rates of only 40
beats per minute, whereas the average adult may have a resting heart rate of about
80 beats per minute. Another major long-term benefit seen is that the athlete's
blood pressure will be reduced. High blood pressure has been linked to a myriad of
health hazards, including strokes.
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