The Circulatory System
• When we breathe, we take oxygen in to our lungs. How
does the oxygen being transported all around the body?
• Is there any other substance that is also delivered all around
the body?
How do substances move around the body?
The body has its own transport system
that carries substances around the body.
Which organs are involved in
this system?
heart
blood vessels
blood
The body’s transport system is called
the circulatory system.
What is carried by the circulatory system?
Food material
Urea
Hormones
Heat
Oxygen is transported Carbon dioxide is carried away
to the body’s cells. from the body’s cells.
Two types of blood
blood high in oxygen blood low in oxygen
oxygenated deoxygenated
At all times these two types of blood cannot mix. Why?
A double circulatory system
Blood travels through the heart twice on one complete
journey around the body.
Lungs
Left side of the heart,
Right side of the heart,
deals with the
deals with the
oxygenated blood.
deoxygenated blood.
Body cells
A double circulatory system
It has two separate circuits and blood passes through the heart
twice:
Pulmonary circulation takes
place between the heart and the
lungs
Systemic circulation takes place
between the heart and other organs
Pulmonary circuit
• Transports blood to the lungs.
• The blood is oxygenated there and then carried back to the
heart.
• Gaseous exchange happens in the lungs
• The pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood and
the pulmonary vein carries oxygenated blood.
Systemic circuit
The systemic circuit transports blood around the body.
It transports oxygen and nutrients to the body tissues,
and carries away deoxygenated blood containing
carbon dioxide and other waste materials.
HEART
1. What is the function of
the heart?
2. The human heart
consists of 4 chambers,
what are they?
HEART
The heart is the organ at the centre of the
circulatory system. It pumps blood around
the body.
The structure of the heart – exterior
Cardiac
muscle
The heart is made of cardiac muscle and keeps pumping
blood around your body, even when you are asleep!
The structure of the heart – interior
The inside of the heart is divided into two sections to keep
oxygenated and deoxygenated blood separate.
Each side of the heart is also divided into two sections.
Each section of the heart is called a chamber.
How many chambers are there? 4
The chambers of the heart
An upper chamber is called an atrium (plural atria).
right left
atrium atrium
right left
ventricle ventricle
A lower chamber is called a ventricle.
blood to blood to
the lungs the body
blood from blood from
the body the lungs
The atria collect blood that enters the heart.
The ventricles pump blood out of the heart.
Heart valves
The chambers of the heart are separated by valves
which prevent blood from flowing in the wrong direction.
valve leading valve leading
out of out of
right ventricle left ventricle
valve between valve between
right atrium and left atrium and
right ventricle left ventricle
How does the heart pump blood?
All the parts of the heart on either side, work together
in a repeated sequence.
The two atria contract and relax; then the two ventricles
contract (systole) and relax (diastole).
One complete sequence of contraction and relaxation is
called a heartbeat.
Heart beat
(How the Heart Functions)
Heart beat
(How the Heart Functions)
Left and right ventricles
Do you notice anything
different about the two
sides of the heart?
Well, the left ventricle wall
is clearly thicker than the
right ventricle wall.
Why is this?
Different
destinations lungs
This journey is This journey is
shorter. The right much longer.
ventricle only has The left
to pump blood ventricle has
from the heart to to pump blood
the adjacent all over the
lungs. body!
body cells
Therefore, the left ventricle needs a thicker wall to
generate a stronger ‘squeeze’ on the blood.
