Cardiovascular System Notes
The cardiovascular system includes:
The heart, a muscular pump
The blood, a fluid connective tissue
The blood vessels, arteries, veins and capillaries
Blood flows away from the heart in arteries, to the capillaries and back to the heart in the veins
There is a decrease in blood pressure as the blood travels away from the heart Arterial branches of the
aorta supply oxygenated blood to all parts of the body Deoxygenated blood leaves the organs in veins
Veins unite to form the vena cava which returns the blood to the heart
Pulmonary System
This is the route by which blood is circulated from the heart to the lungs and back to the heart again
The pulmonary system is exceptional in that the pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood and
the pulmonary vein carries oxygenated blood
Hepatic Portal Vein
There is another exception in the circulatory system – the hepatic portal vein
Veins normally carry blood from an organ back to the heart
The hepatic portal vein carries blood from the capillary bed of the intestine to the capillary bed of the
liver
As a result, the liver has three blood vessels associated with it
Arteries and Veins
The central cavity of a blood vessel is called the lumen
The lumen is lined with a thin layer of cells called the endothelium
The composition of the vessel wall surrounding the endothelium is different in arteries, veins and
capillaries
Arteries carry blood away from the heart
Arteries have a thick middle layer of smooth muscle
They have an inner and outer layer of elastic fibres
Elastic fibres enable the artery wall to pulsate, stretch and recoil, thereby accommodating the surge
of blood after each contraction of the heart
Smooth muscle can contract or become relaxed
This contraction or relaxation brings about vasodilation or vasoconstriction to control blood flow
During strenuous exercise the arterioles leading to the muscles undergo vasodilation – the circular muscle
in the arteriole wall is relaxed and the lumen is wide
This allows an increased blood flow to the skeletal muscles
At the same time, the arterioles leading to the small intestine undergo vasoconstriction
The circular muscles are contracted and the lumen is narrow
As a result, this reduces the blood flow to the gut
Veins carry blood back to the heart
The muscular layer and layers of elastic fibres in the vein wall are thinner than those in an artery because
blood flows along a vein at low pressure
The lumen of a vein is wider than that of an artery
Valves are present in veins, to prevent the backflow of blood Following two slides
compare an artery and vein
Capillaries and Exchange of Materials
Blood is transported from arterioles to venules by passing through a dense network of blood vessels
called capillaries
All exchanges of substances between blood and living tissue takes place through capillary walls
Capillary walls are composed of endothelium and are only one cell thick
Plasma is a watery yellow fluid containing dissolved substances such as glucose, amino acids, blood
cells, platelets and plasma proteins
Blood arriving at the arteriole end of a capillary bed is at a higher pressure than blood in the capillaries
As blood is forced into the narrow capillaries, it undergoes pressure filtration and much of the plasma is
squeezed out through the thin walls
This liquid is called tissue fluid
The only difference between plasma and tissue fluid is that plasma has proteins
Tissue fluid contains a high concentration of dissolved food, oxygen, useful ions etc.
These diffuse, down a concentration gradient, into the surrounding cells
Carbon dioxide and other metabolic wastes diffuse out of the cells, down a concentration gradient,
into the tissue fluid to be excreted
Tissue fluid and Lymph
Much of the tissue fluid returns to the blood in the capillaries at the venule end of the capillary bed
This is brought about by osmosis
Tissue fluid lacks plasma proteins so it has a higher water concentration than the blood plasma
Some of the tissue fluid does not return to the blood in the capillaries This excess tissue fluid
is absorbed by thin-walled lymphatic vessels When the tissue fluid is in the lymphatic vessel it
is called lymph Tiny lymph vessels unite to form larger vessels
Flow of lymph is brought about by the vessels being compressed when muscles contract during
breathing, movement etc.
Larger lymph vessels have valves to prevent backflow
Lymph vessels return their contents to the blood via two lymphatic ducts These enter the veins
coming from the arms
Structure and Function of the Heart
Continuous circulation of blood is maintained by a muscular pump, the heart The heart is divided into 4
chambers, two atria and two ventricles
The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from all parts of the body via the vena cavae
Deoxygenated blood passes into the right ventricle before leaving the heart through the pulmonary
artery
The pulmonary artery divides into two branches, each leading to a lung Oxygenated blood
returns to the heart by the pulmonary veins
It flows from the left atrium to the left ventricle before leaving the heart by the aorta
The wall of the left ventricle is more muscular and thicker than that of the right ventricle
The left ventricle is required to pump blood all around the body The right ventricle
only pumps blood to the lungs
Valves between the atria and ventricles are the atrio-ventricular (AV) valves Valves prevent the
backflow of blood
The presence of valves ensures the blood flows in one direction through the heart
Semi-lunar valves are present at the origins of the pulmonary artery and the aorta
These valves open during ventricular contraction allowing flow into the arteries When arterial pressure
exceeds ventricular pressure, they close.
Summary:
The cardiovascular system consists of the heart and blood vessels. It provides oxygen and nutrients to
tissues while removing wastes. The heart is located within the mediastinum, resting on the diaphragm.
The wall of the heart has three layers: the epicardium, myocardium, and endocardium. The heart is
divided into two atria and two ventricles. Blood low in oxygen and high in carbon dioxide enters the
right side of the heart and is pumped into the pulmonary circulation. After oxygenation in the lungs
and some removal of carbon dioxide, it returns to the left side of the heart. The left ventricle pumps
blood out of the heart to the rest of the body. The cardiac cycle consists of the atria contracting while
the ventricles relax, and vice versa. Electrical activity of the cardiac cycle can be recorded via an
electrocardiogram. The cardiac cycle consists of the P wave, QRS complex, and T wave. Blood vessels
form a closed circuit of tubes that carry blood from the heart to the body cells and back again. This
circuit consists of arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, and veins. Blood pressure is the force that
blood exerts against the insides of blood vessels. It is measured as systolic pressure over diastolic
pressure, meaning the pressure produced during ventricular contraction over the pressure produced
when the ventricles relax. The pulmonary circuit consists of vessels that carry blood from the right
ventricle to the lungs and back to the left atrium. The systemic circuit consists of vessels that lead
from the left ventricle to the body cells and back to the heart,
