Circulatory Pathways

Open circulatory system-

blood pumped by the heart
passes through large
vessels and then into the
free spaces of body cavity.

Closed circulatory system-

blood pumped out of the
heart is always circulated in
the close vessels.
 Fish heart
1. Fish has 2 chambered heart
- an atrium and a ventricle.
2.Heart pumps out the
deoxygenated blood
which
gets oxygenated in gills.
3. Oxygen is supplied to the
body parts. From the body
parts deoxygenated blood
returns
back to heart.
3 chambered heart Amphibian and reptilian heart
They have 3 chambers in their
heart, with 2 atrium and 1
ventricle.

The left atrium receives

oxygenated blood from
gills/lungs/skin and right atrium
receives deoxygenated blood from
all the parts of body.

It gets mixed in the single

ventricle.

Hence, called as incomplete

 Crocodile, bird and
mammal heart
4 chambered heart
They have 4 chambered heart, with
2 atrium and 2 ventricles.

The oxygenated and deoxygenated

blood received by left and right
atrium passes to the ventricle of
the same side.

The ventricles pumps it

out separately.

This is called as complete

double
circulation
Human circulatory system
1. It consists of muscular chambered
heart, blood vessels and
circulating uid blood. It
originates from the mesoderm.
2. Heart is located in thoracic cavity,
between the lungs and slightly
tilted towards left.
3. Heart is the size of a clenched st.
4. It is covered over by double
membranous bag called
pericardium, lled with
pericardial uid.
 Human heart
1. It has 4 chambers, upper atrium and
lower ventricles.
2. Thin muscular inter-atrial
septum, separates right and left
atrium.
3. Thick muscular inter-ventricular
septum, separates right and left
ventricle.
4. Atrium and ventricle of same side
separated by atrio- ventricular
septum
5. The opening of right atrium into right
ventricle is guarded by tricuspid
valve.
 Human heart
6.Superior and inferior vena cava opens
into the right atrium.

7. Pulmonary veins open into left

atrium.

8.Pulmonary artery originates from

right ventricle.

9. Aorta originates from left ventricle.

10.Pulmonary artery and aorta are

provided with semilunar valves.

11.The blood ows only in one

direction, from atrium to
 Origin and conduction of heart beat
1. Heart is made up of cardiac
muscles.
2. Sino-atrial node(SAN) - it is
specialised cardiac muscle patch in
the right upper corner of atrium. It
is called as pacemaker of heart,
as it initiates and maintains heart
beat. (generates 70-75 action
potential in a minute)
3. Atrio-ventricular node(AVN) -
it is another cardiac muscular
patch close atrio-ventricular
septum.
 Origin and conduction of heart beat
4.Bundle of His or atrio-ventricular
bundle - this continues from AVN,
passes through atrio-ventricular
septum and emerge at the top of
inter-ventricular septum,
immediately branching into right
and left.

5.The right and left bundle of His

gives rise to minute purkinje
bres throughout ventricular
wall.
 CARDIAC CYCLE : one complete heartbeat i.e., one contraction and relaxation of both the atria
and ventricles. This sequential event in the heart which is cyclically repeated is called the cardiac cycle.
1. JOINT DIASTOLE: 4 chambers are relaxed ( no pumping ) . Blood flows from both atria to both
ventricles respectively. ( here, Semilunar valves are closed )
2. ATRIAL SYSTOLE: SAN generates action potential, causing atria to contract therefore, 30%
increase in the speed of blood flow into Ventricle.
3. VENTRICULAR SYSTOLE: the action potential is conducted to the ventricular side by AVN &
AV bundle from where the bundle of His transmits the action potential through the entire ventricular
musculature causing the ventricles to contract. Ventricular pressure increases Tricuspid &
Bicuspid valve are forced shut ( LUB sound ) to prevent back flow of blood into atria. The pressure
increases further causing the semilunar valve to forcefully open and the blood flows into the
pulmonary artery and aorta.
4. ATRIAL DIASTOLE : Coinciding to the ventricular systole, the atria will undergo relaxation .

5. VENTRICULAR DIASTOLE: ventricular pressure falls down and the ventricles begin to relax, and
the Semilunar valve closes ( DUB sound) to prevent backflow of blood into the ventricles.
6. JOINT DIASTOLE: as the ventricular pressure declines, the tricuspid and bicuspid valves are pushed
open by blood being emptied into the atria by vena cava hence blood will again flow from atria to
ventricle while all 4 chambers are relaxed and the cycle continues.
 Cardiac Output
1. Heart completes 72 cardiac
cycles per minute. This is
called Cardiac Output=stroke volume*heart
2. Heart takes heart rate.to
0.8 sec rate
= 70 ml * 72 heart
complete beats
one cardiac cycle. = 5040 ml (approx 5
3. Approximately 70 ml of blood litres)
is pumped out by each
ventricle in
a cardiac cycle. This is
called stroke
volume.
EC
G
 Electrocardiograph
1. ECG is the graphical
representation of the
electrical activity of the
heart.
2. The patient is connected to
the electrical leads, one on
each wrist and multiple leads
on the chest region.
3. In the graph, each peak is
identied with a letter from P
to T.
Electrocardiograph 1. P-wave represents the electrical
excitation or depolarisation of the
atria, which leads to contraction
of atria.3
2. The QRS complex represents
the depolarisation of the
ventricles, which leads to
contraction of ventricles.
3. T-wave represents the return of
the ventricles from excited to
normal state or repolarisation.
The end of T-wave marks the
end of
systole.
Double Circulation
 Artery & Veins
1. The walls are made of three
layers.
2. Inner tunica intima is made
of squamous epithelium.
3. Middle tunica media is
made of smooth muscles
and elastic bres.
4. External tunica externa is
made of brous connective
tissue with collagen bres.
5. Tunica media is thin in veins.
 Double Circulation

The deoxygenated blood

pumped out into the pulmonary
artery is passed on to the
lungs, where it gets oxygenated
is carried by pulmonary vein
into the left atrium.
This pathway is called
pulmonary circulation.
Double Circulation The oxygenated blood entering
the aorta is carried by a network
of arteries, arterioles & capillaries
to the tissues.

The deoxygenated blood is

collected by a system of venules,
veins & vena cava and emptied
into the right atrium.

This pathway is called

systemic circulation.
Hepatic portal
system
The hepatic portal vein
carries blood from small
intestine to the liver,
before it is delivered to
systemic circulation.
It contains nutrients and
toxins from digestive
 Coronary
Circulation
The coronary system
of blood vessels
supplies blood to the
heart wall, specially
the cardiac muscles.
Regulation of cardiac activity
Regulation of cardiac
activity
1. Heart is Myogenic- it is
auto regulated by
specialised muscles(nodal
tissues).
2. The neural centre in
medulla oblongata
moderates cardiac
function through ANS.
3. The sympathetic nerves can
increase the heart rate and
thereby increases the
cardiac
Regulation of cardiac
activity
The parasympathetic
neural signals decrease
the heart rate and
thereby decreases the
cardiac output.
The adrenal medullary
hormones also
increases the cardiac
Hypertension 1. It is the term for blood
pressure higher than
normal(120/80mm
Hg).
2. 120mm Hg is
systolic pressure.
3. 80mm Hg is the
diastolic pressure.
4. If the pressure is 140/90
mm Hg or higher, it is
hypertension.
5. High blood pressure causes
heart diseases and affects
other vital organs of the
 Coronary Artery
Disease(CAD)
1. It is also referred to
as atherosclerosis.
2. This affects the blood vessels
of heart muscles.
3. It is caused by deposition of
calcium, fat, cholesterol and
brous tissues in the blood
vessels.
4. This decreases the lumen of
the arteries.
5. It is removed by angioplasty
or bypass surgery.
Angina 1. It is also called as
angina pectoris.
2. It is a symptom acute
chest pain, when cardiac
muscle does not get
proper supply of oxygen.
3. It is most common among
men & women of middle
age and elderly.
4. This happens when normal
blood ow is affected.
 Heart Failure
1. It is a state when heart is
not efciently pumping the
blood to meet the needs of
the body.
2. It is also called as
congestive heart failure, as
congestion of the lungs is
the main symptom
of this disease.
3. It is not the same as cardiac
arrest( heart stops beating)
or heart attack( heart
muscles
The End