The Cardiovascular System

1238 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The cardiovascular system

The Cardiovascular System
The cardiovascular system is made up of the heart, blood vessels and the blood and its main functions include the transportation of blood around the body, protection from invading microorganisms and to prevent blood loss through haemostasis. (Widamaier, et al 2011:5)
One of the main organs of the cardiovascular system is the heart; the heart is made up of four chambers. The blood enters the right atrium of the heart from body through the venae cavae, it then travels though the tricuspid atrioventricular valve into the right ventricle. The blood is then pumped through the pulmonary semilunar valve out of the heart to the lungs using the pulmonary arteries. It is then oxygenated and returns to the left atrium in the pulmonary veins it travels through the mitral atrioventricular valve into the left ventricle and is then pumped out of the heart to the systematic circulatory system passing through the aortic semilunar valve into the aorta. (Widamaier, et al 2011:359)
The heart is situated in the thoracic cavity protected by a sac called the pericardium. The inner heart wall is made up of three layers the outside of the heart wall is called the epicardium this lubricates the heart and prevents friction. The middle and thickest layer of the heart, called the myocardium, is a thick muscular layer built up of cardiac muscle which is responsible for pumping blood. The thickness of the myocardium varies throughout the heart, the atria does not need as much myocardium as the ventricles as the atria only need enough pressure to pimp the blood to the ventricles whereas the ventricles need enough pressure to pump blood to the lungs and the body. The left ventricle has a thicker myocardium layer than the right as the le...

... middle of paper ...

...njury. (Widamaier, et al 2011:354)
The cardiovascular system is made up of the heart which pumps blood to the lungs through pulmonary circulation, the heart muscle through cardial circulation and the body systems through systematic circulation. It is made up of various chambers and valves and its cycle is controlled by an electrical signal originating in the heart itself. There are various different vessels which control the blood flow throughout the body. Which include high pressure arteries and arterioles originate from the heart. Capillaries which have a semipermeable membrane that allows the exchange of gasses, nutrients and wastes between the blood and the tissues. Also veins which are low pressure and contain valves that prevent backflow. All of these together perform the main functions of the cardiovascular system; protection, transportation and regulation.

Show More
Related

  • How the Heart Works

    418 Words  | 1 Pages

    In this figure, SN = sinus node; AVN = AV node; RA = right atrium; LA

    Read More

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

    831 Words  | 2 Pages

    The heart is an extraordinary structure that is the base of all human life. However, it similar to the uncomplicated functions of water pumps. As the heart beats, blood is distributed throughout the body using a network of blood vessels. The functions of the heart can be kept in regular and healthy conditions through exercise. Exercise has an effect on the blood that is circulating through the body. That circulating blood makes the heart desire more oxygen, causing the heart rate to increase rapidly to keep up with activity demand.

    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 Structure and Functions of the Arteries

    345 Words  | 1 Pages

    The walls of arteries are made up of three layers same as veins. Its inner endothelium is composed of epithelial cells which is very smooth. This layer helps minimise the friction. The tunica media provides strength and elasticity. It contains smooth muscles, collagen and large amount of elastic fibres.

    Read More

  • Epithelia Essay

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    the heart is made of a muscle called the cardiac muscle unlike other muscles in the body the cardiac muscle never gets tiered its constantly working and never stops. It squeezes blood out of the heart and then relaxes it to fill it back with blood again in and this process continues and happens everyday until you are dead. The heart beats non stop this is achieved because of the cardiac Muscle.

    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

  • The Cardiac Cycle

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    State: The cardiac cycle is composed of five stages which each trigger the relaxation or contraction of the atria or ventricles and direction of blood flow.

    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

  • 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

  • Describe The Strongest Muscle In The Body

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever thought about how the strongest muscle in your body is about the size of your fist.The heart is divided up into four chambers, two of these chambers are ventricles and the other two are called atria. Their is one ventricle and one atria on the left side of the heart and one of each on the right side of the heart as well. Each chamber is separated by a valve. On the left side the valves are called mitral valve, aortic valve. The valves on the right side of the heart are called tricuspid valve and the pulmonic valve. The middle portion of the heart is called myocardium. The outer layer is known as the epicardium.

    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

  • Cardiovascular System Analysis

    581 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout many years of watching my mother battle coronary artery disease and knowing I will lose her to the cardiovascular system malfunction, makes this system an intriguing part of the body to gain more information. The heart, which is a major component in the cardiovascular system, is one of the strongest muscles in the body. Along with the arteries, veins, and capillaries, it combines to create the cardiovascular system. With these components, the body will generate oxygen, nutrients, rid CO2 and waste materials from the body.

    Read More

  • Cardiovascular System Research Paper

    285 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Cardiovascular system, also known as the circulatory system, is the organ system that allows blood to circulate and transport nutrients like amino acids and electrolytes. As well as transporting oxygen, hormones, blood cells, and carbon dioxide to provide nutrients to the body and help fight against diseases, keep body temperatures steady alongside the pH, and maintain homeostasis. A few different organs make up the cardiovascular system but the heart is the main one. The hearts job is to pump fresh, oxygenated blood through the body and out the veins to reach the other organs. Another highly important organ in this system is our blood vessels, allowing blood to flow quickly from one area to another and back to the heart. We have three

    Read More

More about The Cardiovascular System

Open Document