Cardiovascular System

2555 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The cardiovascular system

The cardiovascular system, which consists of the heart and blood vessels, is the circulatory systems in our body. The major function of the system is transportation; the heart is the system pump and the blood vessels are the delivery routes. The heart transport respiratory gases, nutrients, wastes, and other substances vital to the body’s homeostasis to and from the cells by using the blood as a medium.

The heart is a cone-shaped organ approximately the size of a fist with an apex and a base. It is located within the mediastinum or medial cavity of the thorax. The heart is enclosed within a double walled pericardium, a fibroserous sac. The pericardium has a superficial fibrous pericardium and deep two-layer serous pericardium. The parietal layer lines the fibrous pericardium and; on the other hand, the visceral layer lines the surface of the heart. The pericardium protects and anchors the heart; prevents overfilling of blood; and helps to work in a friction-free environment. The wall of cardiac muscle is composed of myocardium which is the fibrous skeleton of the heart. This muscle is more elaborate and thicker in areas like around the valves and at the base of the great vessels that leaves the heart.

The heart’s chamber is divided into two superior atria(atrium) and two inferior ventricles. Endocardium thin serous endothelial layer of inner myocardium lines each of the chambers. Each chamber is partitioned by Interatrial or interventricular septum which divides the heart longitudinally. Functionally, the atria are receiving chambers. Right atrium receives deoxygenated blood via superior and inferior venae cavae and coronary sinus; and four pulmonary veins deliver oxygenated blood from lungs to left atrium. The inferior ventricl...

... middle of paper ...

...://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart_disease_heart_attacks>.

"Heart Attack." Collin College Library. Health and Wellness Resource Center. Web. 06 Mar. 2011. .

Longe, Lori De Milto Jacqueline L. "Atherosclerosis." Collin College Library. Health and Wellness Center. Web. 06 Mar. 2011. .

Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Heart Attack - MayoClinic.com." Mayo Clinic. Web. 06 Mar. 2011. .

Show More
Related

  • Sheep Heart Dissection

    1386 Words  | 3 Pages

    of the heart: one chamber is on the top and one chamber is on the

    Read More

  • Heart Health: How Does Heart Rate Change with Exercise?

    831 Words  | 2 Pages

    Furthermore, Aristotle and Galen’s theories contributed to the Renaissance revival of heart anatomy. This reawakening made it possible for physicians to indicate the basic arrangement of the heart. It became commonly accepted that the heart was divided into four parts: two ventricles (lower chambers that pump blood out) and two auricles (upper chamber that r...

    Read More

  • Overview of The Cardiovascular System

    1664 Words  | 4 Pages

    The cardiovascular system - The cardiovascular system is responsible for transporting nutrients and removing gaseous waste from the body. It consists of the heart, which powers the whole process, the veins, arteries, and capillaries, which deliver oxygen to tissue at the cellular level. The cardiovascular system carries blood that is low in oxygen away from the heart to the lungs via arteries, where oxygen levels are restored through the air once oxygenated, this blood is then carried throughout the body via arteries, keeping our organs and tissue alive. The cardiovascular system is the workhorse of the body, continuously moving to push blood to the cells. If this important system ceases its work, the body dies.

    Read More

  • The Heart: The Anatomy Of The Heart

    1307 Words  | 3 Pages

    The heart is one of the most unique organs in the human body. Its capabilities and functions truly are amazing. The heart 's function is to pump blood throughout the body supplying oxygen and nutrients to tissues. The heart is the size of your fist and weighs roughly 8-12 ounces depending if you’re male or female. The heart pumps through 100 kilometers of blood vessels for blood that is 3 to 4 times thicker than water at 60 to 80 times minute for a total volume of 5 million liters a year at rest. A basic diagram of the heart includes, right coronary, superior vena cava, aorta, pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle. There are more in

    Read More

  • Myocardial Infarction Paper

    1031 Words  | 3 Pages

    The cardiovascular system keeps blood circulating throughout our bodies constantly, and without it, many of the activities that we do would not be possible! The heart is the main organ of the cardiovascular system because it pumps the blood, and also a major organ of the human body because of how it is able to allow our bodies to work. Unfortunately, the heart may fail to function at times when blood flow is reduced as a result of blockage. This is more commonly known as a heart attack, or myocardial infarction. According to “Heart Disease Statistics,” approximately 715, 000 Americans suffer a heart attack every year . This deadly disorder of the heart can be diagnosed from symptoms, as well as from imaging and tests, and it is possible to

    Read More

  • Underlying Risks for Cardiovascular Disease

    1649 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since 1960 the age-adjusted mortality rates for cardiovascular disease (CVD) has declined steadily in the U.S. due to multiple factors, but still remains one of the primary causes of morbidity and premature mortality worldwide. Greater control of risk factors and improved treatments for cardiovascular disease has significantly contributed to this decline (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). In the U.S. alone it claims approximately 830,000 each year and accounts for 1/6 of all deaths under the age of 65 (Weiss and Lonnquist, 2011). Based on the 2007 mortality rate data an average of 1 death every 37 seconds is due to cardiovascular disease (Lloyd-Jones et al., 2009). Controlling and reducing risk factors is crucial for saving lives. There are a number of contributing risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which may appear in the form of hereditary, behavioral, and psychological, all of which ultimately converge in social or cultural factors.

    Read More

  • Stress and Cardiovascular Disease

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    Today, cardiovascular disease is “the number one killer in the United States and the developed world” (Sapolsky, 2004, p. 41). Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common form of cardiovascular disease, and is responsible for claiming an unreasonable amount of lives every year. CHD can begin to accumulate in young adults, but is prominently found in both men and women in their later adult lives. As a result of CHD, men typically experience heart attacks, whereas women present with chest pains, known as angina (Matthews, 2005).

    Read More

  • The Cardiac Cycle

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    Elaborate: The cardiac cycle of the heart is divided into diastole and systole stages. Diastole refers to the period of relaxation experienced by the atria and ventricles. Systole is the contraction of the atria and ventricles. The pattern of blood flow starts in the left atrium to right atrium then into the left ventricle and right ventricle. During its course, blood flows through the mitral and tricuspid valves. Simultaneously, the right atrium is granted blood from the veins through the superior and inferior vena cava. The job of the superior vena cava is to transport de-oxygenated blood to

    Read More

  • Leading Causes of Death in The United States

    2023 Words  | 5 Pages

    The heart serves as a powerful function in the human body through two main jobs. It pumps oxygen-rich blood throughout the body and “blood vessels called coronary arteries that carry oxygenated blood straight into the heart muscle” (Katzenstein and Pinã, 2). There are four chambers and valves inside the heart that “help regulate the flow of blood as it travels through the heart’s chambers and out to the lungs and body” (Katzenstein Pinã, 2). Within the heart there is the upper chamber known as the atrium (atria) and the lower chamber known as the ventricles. “The atrium receive blood from the lu...

    Read More

  • The Respiratory System

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Respiratory System 1. Define respiration. Respiration is the process of converting glucose to energy, which goes to every cell in the body. 2. Describe the organs of external respiration.

    Read More

  • Stroke Essay

    1441 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyone knows that the heart is a vital organ and we cannot live without it. It is complex and important; therefore it is critical to know how it works. With knowledge about the heart and what is good and bad for it, one can significantly decrease the risk for diseases. Now, the heart has three layers. Endocardium is the smooth inside lining, myocardium id is the middle layer of heart muscle, and it is surrounded by a fluid filled sac called the pericardium. The heart is split into four parts; some may call it chamber or rooms. These parts are the: right atrium, the left atrium, the right ventricle, and the left ventricle. The chambers are separated by partition walls known as the septum and each has a one-way valve that prevents blood from flowing backwards.

    Read More

  • Circulatory System

    420 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Circulatory System is a transportation and cooling system for the body. The Red Blood Cells act like billions of little mail men carrying all kinds of things that are needed by the cells, also RBC's carry oxygen and nutrients to the cells. All cells in the body require oxygen to remain alive. Also there is another kind of cells called white blood cells moving in the system. Why blood cells protect from bacteria and other things that are harmful. The Circulatory system contains vein arteries, veins are used to carry blood to the heart and arteries to carry the blood away. The blood inside veins is where most of the oxygen and nutrients are and is called deoxygenated and the color of the blood is dark red. However, blood in the arteries are also full of oxygen but is a bright red. The main components of the circulatory system are the heart, blood, and blood vessels.

    Read More

  • Investigating the Effect of Exercise on the Heart Rate

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is about the size of a person's fist. The heart has four chambers. The upper two chambers are the right artium and left atrium, and the lower two are the right ventricle and left ventricle. Blood is pumped through the chambers, aided by four heart valves. The valves open and close to let the blood flow in only one direction.

    Read More

  • The Heart

    1796 Words  | 4 Pages

    The heart is a pump with four chambers made of their own special muscle called cardiac muscle. Its interwoven muscle fibers enable the heart to contract or squeeze together automatically (Colombo 7). It’s about the same size of a fist and weighs some where around two hundred fifty to three hundred fifty grams (Marieb 432). The size of the heart depends on a person’s height and size. The heart wall is enclosed in three layers: superficial epicardium, middle epicardium, and deep epicardium. It is then enclosed in a double-walled sac called the Pericardium. The terms Systole and Diastole refer respectively and literally to the contraction and relaxation periods of heart activity (Marieb 432). While the doctor is taking a patient’s blood pressure, he listens for the contractions and relaxations of the heart. He also listens for them to make sure that they are going in a single rhythm, to make sure that there are no arrhythmias or complications. The heart muscle does not depend on the nervous system. If the nervous s...

    Read More

  • Systems of the Human Body

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    The human body is very complex. It is like a job. You have to do a million things in one day to make it through the day. The body uses nine systems to do all of those jobs. They all have separate functions, but some work together. Each system is also made up of organs. There are many ways to care and protect the systems from the many different problems they can have. There are also many interesting facts about each system.

    Read More

More about Cardiovascular System

Open Document