The circulatory system is the most important system of the body as it ensures the exchange of

substances between all the tissues of the body and the external environment and the transport of
various substances from one bodily organ to another.

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It contains a circulatory medium and a network of continuous tubes called vessels. In unicellular
organisms such as Amoeba and Paramecium, the circulatory system is completely absent as in
these organisms oxygen and other useful substances including food can easily diffuse to all parts
of the cytoplasm from the environment and waste products such as carbon dioxide and ammonia
can easily be eliminated from the body surface.
In Hydra and other coelenterates as well as in flat- worms the transport of oxygen and other
substances to the cells and elimination of waste products is achieved by making the gastro
vascular cavity a highly branched structure.
The food taken into such a cavity is circulated to all paits of the branching system by the movements of the body and the cells of the body can pick up required substances and remove
unwanted substances.
These animals, thus, do not require any special sort of circulatory system. In higher animals, on
the other hand, because of their complex body organization there is an imperative need of some
sort of circulatory or transport system through which various substances may be transported to
different parts of the body which are not in direct contact with the external environment.
William Harvey (1628) was the first who discovered the function of heart and the circulation of
the blood.
He stated that the heart was a pumping organ provided with valves to maintain the flow of blood
in one direction only, that blood was distributed to the organs by means of deep lying vessels
which he called arteries and the blood was returned to the heart by more superficial vessels
which he called veins.
He showed this by a simple experiment employing a bandage applied to the upper arm of one of
his patients.
The bandage was tightened until the pulse at the wrist could not be felt. The patients arm after a
lapse of few periods became cold.
On loosening the bandage a little to release the pressure on the deeper arteries, the patient felt a
sensation of warmth returning to his arm while the veins below the bandage swelled.
Therefore, Harvey concluded that the blood was flowing down the arteries from the heart but
could not return in the veins since the bandage was still compressing them.
Harvey did not know of the existence of capillaries as there was no microscope at that time.
The capillaries were discovered by Malpighi in 1661 after Harveys death. Later in 1732 Hales
succeeded in to determine the blood pressure.

Original Alphabetical

Cardiovascular system aka

blood-vascular system or circulatory system

Why study? (2)

1. Contribution to communication: sustains life by supplying oxygen and other nutrients to brain
2. Effects of cardiovascular disease on communication: leading cause of death & disability in
US, stroke can have devastating effects on speech (dysar thria)/language (aphasia)

Basic anatomy of circulatory system. 3 components:

1. Heart: muscular pump (provide force to circulate blood throughout body)
2. Blood vessels: channels through which blood is delivered to tissues
3. Blood: transport medium

Types of blood vessels: (3)

1. Artieries: take blood Away from heart
2. Capillaries: intermediaries between artieries and veins
3. Veins: always take blood to the heart

Basic physiology of circulatory system:

coordinated system that transports oxygen and other vital nutrients to all tissues of body and
assists in removal of metabolic waste products (waste that comes from body's work)

Functions of circulatory system divided into 2 main parts:

Think about where blood is flowing and oxygen content of blood
1. Pulmonary circulation: Pump blood to lungs to get oxygenated
Deoxygenated blood-R side heart to lungs, freshly oxygenated blood back to L side of heart
2. Systemic circulation
Deliver oxygenated blood to body tissues
Oxygenated blood from L side heart to body tissues and deoxygenated blood to R side heart

Always associated R side of heart with oxygen ___ blood and L side of heart with
oxygen ____ blood
Right side = oxygen POOR blood
Left side = oxygen RICH blood

(left winged people have rich hearts)

Specific anatomy: Heart

-driving pump/muscular organ
-keeps medium (blood) moving through vessels
-normal heart pumps 5 L blood/min

Placement of heart in body

Located in thoracic cavity:
in thoracic cavity are pleural cavities (lungs) and mediastinum (heart and other things)
-surrounded by pericardium (peri=around)

What are the layers of the pericardium?

1. Outer layer: parietal pericardium
2. Inner layer: visceral pericardium
Serous fluid in between layers-friction free movement of the heart

Anatomy: Internal cavity of the heart: 4 chambers

-2 atria (upper): L atrium and R atrium
atrium=where you are recieved
-2 ventricles (lower): L ventricle and R ventricle
have to be thicker b/c they are the pumps (L ventricle thicker than R)

Atria vs ventricles
-Anatomically: thin walled vs thick walled. Relative to functional role: blood collection not
related to pumping of blood, so it doesn't need to be thick
-Reserviors (receieve blood from body/lungs) v forecful pump (pump blood to body/lungs)

Each chamber of heart comprised of 3 layers:

1. Epicardium-outer layer (visceral pericardium)
2. Myocardium-middle layer (heart muscle)
3. Endocardium-inner layer (simple squamous epithelium)

2 different types of valves (total of 4 valves in heart)

What is the purpose of valves?

Control circulation through chambers (ensure 1 way circulation)

1st type: b/w atria and ventricles (atrioventricular valves)-can't control blood flow b/w atria and
ventricles
1. R: Tricuspid (cusp=point)
2. L: Bicuspud (mitral)
2nd type: b/w base of large vessels and ventricles (aka Semilunar, refers to shape)
1. R vent & pulmonary artery-Pulmonary valve
2. L vent & aorta-Aortic Valve

Lub-dub sound
made from valves
lub-AV
dub-semil

Blood Vessels: 3 types

1. Artieries
2. Veins
3. Capillaries

1. Arteries
key division
always carry blood Away from heart
key division:
-in pulmonary circuit (involving heart and lungs) artieries take blood (deoxy, blue) from r
ventricle to lungs
-in systemic circuit, arteries take blood from L ventricle and take it to the body (oxygenated-red)
-Aorta: all systemic arteries branch directly or indirectly from aorta

2. Veins
key division
always take blood to heart
key division:
pulmonary: take oxygen rich blood (red) from lungs to L atrium
systemic: take oxygen poor blood (blue) from body tissues to R atrium
ex: Superior Vena Cava-blood from head, neck, arms and upper chest
Inferior Vena Cava-blood from lower chest and body parts below diaphram

3. Capillaries
Smallest and most numerous
Connection b/w arteries and veins

Primary function: exchange material b/w blood and tissue cells

Adults have 7,000 sq miles of capillaries

Physiology of Pulmonary Circuit

-purpose is to get deoxygenated blood to lungs, then get it back to heart to dispense to body
-Blood flows to R atrium from: Superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, coronary sinus dumping
deoxyg blood to R atrium
-from R atrium through tricuspid valve to R ventricle
-from R ventricle to into pulmonary artery (aka pulmonary trunk, which is the common area
before it divides into L pulmonary artery (L lung) and R pulmonary artery (to R lung))
-R and L pulmonary arteries break into smaller and smaller vessels until microscopic (arterioles).
-Arterioles regulate blood flow to capillaries
-Capillary networks in alveoli
-CO2 diffuses from pulmonary capillaries into alveoli
-O2 diffuses from alveoli into pulmonary capillaries
From capillaries to pulmonary venules, through series of larger beings to
-L and R pulmonary veins
-pulmonary veins take oxygenated blood to L atrium

Physiology of systemic circuit

-L atrium to L ventricle (mitral/bicuspid valve)
-L ventricle to pump oxygenated blood to rest of body via aorta (aortic valve).
All systemic arteries either directly or indirectly branch off of aorta
Aortic arch:
-Brachiocephalic to R common carotid, R subclavian, R vertebral
-L common carotid, L subclavian, L verterbral artery
Frpm body to deoxygenated blood to superior/inferior vena cava to R atrium
Last part of systemic circuit, 1st part of pulmonary circuit

Aortic arch-what are the 3 (conventional) branches

1. Brachiocephalic artery
2. L common carotid artery
3. L subclavian artery

Example of physiology of systemic circuit

Purpose: to deliver oxygenated blood to body
Blood flow to brain-brain requires large amount of blood (2% of body weight but demands 25%
of blood from heat)

4 vessels supply blood to brain (2 pairs)

-2 vertebral arteries: gain access through foramun magnum
-2 carotid arteries (external/internal branches-before divide "common")
external: supplies face, scalp, skull, meninges (lining of brain)
internal: supplies brain and follows circuitous route
further divides into A, middle, and P cerebral art)
1 type important subdivision for S/L is Middle Cerenral Artery
Circle of Willis: vertebral (basilar) and carotid (internal) arteries feed into artierial complex at
base of brain
direct source of all signals. direct blood supply to brain
Serves as collateral channel-inherent redundancy. Parts of the body served by more than 1 artery:
if 1 vessel damaged, blood flow won't stop completely. Not complete in all people, but you
wouldn't know until there was a cerebral accident

Blood flow from brain

-return of deoxygenated blood from brain toheart
-1st blood drains into 6 cranial sinuses b/w dura matter layers, then
-feeds into internal jugular vein (courses next to internal carotid), which
-eventually transitions to superior vena cava (intermediate veins along way!)

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The respiratory system provides your body cells with the oxygen they need and rids them of
carbon dioxide, a waste product. Playing a central part in this process are the lungs, two organs
in the chest that work closely with the blood circulation. BREATHING is the cycle of moving air
into and out of the lungs. Structures in the respiratory system are also vital to SPEECH.

BLOOD SUPPLY
Blood is carried from the heart to the lungs by the pulmonary arteries. They are the thick red
vessels at the centre of this photograph of a resin cast of two lungs. The pulmonary arteries split
into many branches, forming an intricate network of vessels that carry blood to the lungs alveoli.
There, oxygen enters the blood, and carbon dioxide leaves it.

LUNG AIRWAYS
When air is breathed in, it passes down the trachea. This divides into two airways called main
bronchi, which go to the two lungs. Each splits into smaller bronchi, which then split into
bronchioles. These terminate in groups of tiny air sacs called alveoli.

ALVEOLI
Each lung contains millions of alveoli (air sacs), which are the site of gas exchange. Groups of
alveoli, looking like clusters of grapes, are found at the ends of bronchioles, the tiniest of the
lungs air passages. The walls of the alveoli are surrounded by a dense network of capillaries
carrying blood.

GAS EXCHANGE IN ALVEOLI

As oxygen-depleted blood passes close to the wall of an alveolus, carbon dioxide passes from the
blood into the alveolus. At the same time, oxygen passes from the alveolus into the blood, where
it binds with haemoglobin in red blood cells. The swapping of carbon dioxide for oxygen in the
lungs is called gas exchange.

BIOGRAPHY: JOHN SCOTT HALDANE Scottish, 1860-1936

In 1905, the scientist J S Haldane made the important discovery that the urge to breathe is caused
by a build-up of carbon dioxide in the blood. As the blood level of carbon dioxide rises, this is
detected by a small region in the brain, which triggers quicker breathing.

SPEECH
Our ability to speak relies on the presence of two folds of tissue called vocal cords in the larynx
(voice box) at the top of the trachea. As air passes between the cords when we breathe out, they
vibrate. During speech, a centre in the brain sends signals to tiny muscles that alter the position
and length of the cords, producing different sounds. These are modified into meaningful speech
by movements of the lips, cheeks, and tongue.
THE LARYNX

The larynx lies between the back of the pharynx (throat) and the top of the trachea. The vocal
cords stretch across the larynx. When air from the lungs passes through them, they vibrate to
produce sounds.

BREATHING
Breathing is the process of drawing air into the lungs and then expelling it again. Adults breathe
at a rate of around 12-15 times per minute at rest but at a faster rate during exercise. With each
breath, the lungs take in around 0.5 litres (1 pint) of air.
COUGHING

If dust or germs enter the respiratory system, they can irritate the larynx, trachea, or bronchi.
This may trigger coughing. When you cough, muscles in the chest and abdomen contract
suddenly, increasing air pressure within the lungs. As a result, a spray of liquid drops containing
dust and other unwanted material is forced out. Germs can pass from one person to another in
this way.

INHALATION

During inhalation, the intercostal muscles between the ribs contract. So does the diaphragm, a
muscular sheet at the base of the chest cavity. The ribcage expands, and the diaphragm flattens,
which increases the size of the chest cavity. This increase in chest volume causes the pressure of
air in the lungs to be lower than the pressure of the air outside the body. As a result, air is drawn
down the trachea into the lungs.
EXHALATION

During exhalation, the intercostal muscles relax, and so does the diaphragm. The ribs move
downwards and inwards, causing the ribcage to contract, and the diaphragm moves up. As the
volume of the chest cavity decreases, the pressure of air within the lungs becomes higher than
the pressure in the air outside the body. As a result, air moves back up the trachea and is expelled
to the outside through the nose and mouth.

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