The Circulatory System

I. Purpose of the circulatory system

• To move materials through out the body:

– Oxygen
– Carbon dioxide & other wastes
– Nutrients
– Hormones
– Antibodies
 II. There are 3 types of circulation
• Systemic – between the heart and the
body systems
• Pulmonary – between the heart & lungs
• Coronary – to the heart tissues
 A. Coronary circulation
• The flow of blood to and from the tissues
of the heart
• When the coronary circulation is blocked,
oxygen and nutrients cannot reach all the
cells of the heart.
• This can cause a heart attack.
 B. Pulmonary circulation
• The flow of blood through the heart to the
lungs and back to the heart
The pathway of blood from the
heart to lungs and back.
1. Blood, high in carbon dioxide and low in
oxygen, returns from the body to the
heart. It enters the right atrium through
the superior and inferior vena cavae.
 Trace the pathway of blood
from heart to lungs and back.
2. The right atrium contracts, forcing the
blood into the right ventricle. When the
right ventricle contracts, the blood
leaves the heart and goes through the
pulmonary artery to the lungs. The
pulmonary arteries are the only arteries
that carry blood that is high in carbon
dioxide.
 Trace the pathway of blood
from heart to lungs and back.
3. Oxygen-rich blood travels from the lungs
through the pulmonary vein and into the
left atrium. The pulmonary veins are the
only veins that carry oxygen-rich blood.
 Trace the pathway of blood
from heart to lungs and back.
4. The left atrium contracts and forces the
blood into the left ventricle. The left
ventricle contracts, forcing the blood out
of the heart and into the aorta.
 C. Systemic circulation

•It moves oxygenated (oxygen-rich)

blood to organs and body tissues.

•It returns deoxygenated (oxygen-poor)

blood to the heart.
III. The main parts of the circulatory
(or cardiovascular) system:

• Heart
• Blood vessels
– Arteries
– Veins
– Capillaries
• Blood
 Arteries
• Blood vessels that carry blood away from
the heart
• Have thick, elastic walls made of
connective tissue and smooth muscle
tissue
 Veins
• Blood vessels that carry blood back to the
heart
• Have one-way valves that keep blood
moving toward the heart
 Capillaries

• Arteries carry blood away from the

heart.
• Veins carry blood to the heart.
• Capillaries connect arteries & veins.
• Diffusion takes place in capillaries.
Compare & contrast the three types
of blood vessels:

• All 3 blood vessels transport (move)

blood to every part of your body, but...
• Capillaries are only one cell thick.
• Arteries & veins have 3 layers.
• Veins have valves to prevent back-
flow.
 IV. Blood pressure
• The force of the blood on the walls of the blood
vessels.
• Measured in mm of Mercury and usually given as 2
numbers: ex. 110 over 70
• The top number is the systolic blood
pressure reading  the maximum
pressure exerted when the heart
contracts.
• The bottom number is the diastolic
blood pressure reading  the pressure
in the arteries when the heart is at
rest.
 Blood pressure
• Healthy adult humans are approximately
120 mmHg systolic and 80 mmHg diastolic
• Written as 120/80 mmHg, and spoken as
"one twenty over eighty"
Blood pressure is most commonly measured
with a stethoscope and a
sphygmomanometer
– say what???
 V. Blood
• Blood moves oxygen and nutrients to cells
• Carries carbon dioxide and other wastes
away from the cells
• Sometimes the blood carries substances
made in one part of the body to another
part of the body where they are needed
• Ex. Hormones and antibodies
 VI. The Heart
• Made of cardiac muscle tissue
• Located behind your breastbone, called
the sternum, and between your lungs
• Has four compartments called chambers
– The two upper chambers are called the right
and left atria (atrium)
– The two lower chambers are called the right
and left ventricles
 The Heart

• During one heartbeat, both atriums

contract at the same time
• Then, both ventricles contract at the same
time
• A one-way valve separates each atrium
from the ventricle below it
 The Heart
• The blood flows only in one direction from an
atrium to a ventricle, then from a ventricle into a
blood vessel
• A wall prevents blood from flowing between the
two atriums or the two ventricles
• This wall or septum keeps blood rich in oxygen
separate from blood low in oxygen
• If oxygen-rich blood and oxygen-poor blood
were to mix, your body's cells would not get all
the oxygen they need
The Heart