I- INTRODUCTION:

What is Circulatory System?

-is defined as the system that moves blood, oxygen and nutrients through the body. An
example of the circulatory system is the functioning of the human heart, blood and blood
vessels.

Functions:
 Transport water, oxygen and nutrients to cell, waste, including carbon
dioxide, away from the cell
 Circulates blood to all parts of the body
 Helps maintain correct body temperature
 Helps fight disease, through white blood cells and antibodies in the blood

II- PARTS /FUNCTIONS

1. Heart- is an organ that pumps blood throughout the body via the circulatory
system supplying oxygen, nutrients to the tissue and removing carbon dioxide and other
wastes.

The heart has four chambers:

a) The Right atrium receives blood from the veins and pumps it to the right ventricle.
b) The Right ventricle receives blood from the right atrium and pumps it to the
lungs, where it is loaded with oxygen.
c) The Left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the left
ventricle.
d) The Left ventricle (the strongest chamber) pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of
the body. The left ventricles vigorous contractions create our blood pressure.

2. Blood Vessel – A tubular structure carrying blood through the tissues and
organs, a vein, artery or capillary.

1. Arteries – it carries oxygen- rich blood away from the heart to all of the body’s
tissues.
2. Capillaries – there are small thin blood vessels that connects the arteries and the
veins.
3. Veins – these are blood vessels that take blood back to the heart, this blood
contains less oxygen and is rich in waste products that are to be excreted or
removed from the body.

3. Blood- it is a specialized body fluid. It has four main components plasma, red
blood cell, white blood cell and platelets.

Functions:
 Transporting oxygen and nutrients to the lungs and tissues
  Forming blood clots to prevent excess blood loss
 Carrying cells and antibodies that fight infection
 Bringing waste products to the kidneys and liver which filter and clean the
blood.
 Regulating body temperature

Components of Blood:
1) Plasma –the liquid component of blood is called plasma, a mixture of water, sugar,
fat, proteins and salts. The main job of plasma is to transport blood cells
throughout your body.
2) Red blood cells ( also called erythrocytes)
-contains a special protein called hemoglobin, which helps carry oxygen
from the lungs to the rest of the body and then returns carbon dioxide from
the body to the lungs so it can be exhaled.
3) White blood cells ( also called leukocytes)
-it protects the body from infection. They are much fewer in number than
red blood cells, accounting for about 1 percent of your blood. There are two main
populations of these cells. T lymphocytes help regulate the function of other immune
cells and directly attack various infected cells and tumors. B lymphocytes make
antibodies, which are proteins that specifically target bacteria, viruses, and other
foreign materials.
4) Platelets – or thrombocytes are the smallest of the formed elements and are
actually fragments of large cells found in bone marrow. It helps the blood clotting
process (or coagulation) by gathering at the site of an injury, sticking to the lining of the
injured blood vessel, and forming a platform on which blood coagulation can occur.

The two main blood group systems are ABO antigens and the Rhesus antigens these two
antigens are used to classify blood types.
There are four ABO groups:

Group A: the surface of the red blood cells contains A antigen, and the plasma has anti- B
antibody that could attack any foreign B antigen containing red blood cells.

Group B: the surface of the red blood cells contain B antigen, and the plasma has anti- A
antibody that would attack any foreign A antigen containing red blood cells.

Group AB: The red blood vessels have both A and B Antigens, but the plasma does not
contain anti A/ anti-B antibodies. Individuals with the type AB can receive any ABO
blood type.

Group O- the plasma contains both types of A/ anti B antibodies, but the surface of the
red blood cells does not contain any A/B antigens.