CIRCULATORY

SYSTEM

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

The humancirculatory
system, in its most basic
form, is actually a simple
loop which starts and ends
in the same place the
heart. It is believed to be a
closed system because the
blood neither enters nor
leaves the system during its
journey from the heart to
different parts of the body,
and back to the heart again.
In this particular system, the
continuous flow of the blood
is the main component, as it
is the one that is pumped
through the loop over and
over again.

PARTS AND
FUNCTIONS

PARTS AND FUNCTIONS

1. The Heart
Located slightly to the left of the
middle of your chest, the heart is
made of strong muscle tissue and
is protected by your rib cage. Even
though it is no larger than the size
of your fist, it plays a vitally
important role in your body. It
consists of four hollow chambers
two ventricles and two atria. All
four chambers work quite like
pumps and push blood throughout
your body. The blood that moves
towards the heart enters it through
the atria and then goes out to your
body through the ventricles.

2. The Blood Vessels

The blood vessels are one of the most
important circulatory system organs. Your
blood vessels allow blood to flow quickly from
one region to another and then allow it to
come back to your heart. The size of your
vessels increases with an increase in the
amount of blood that passes through the
vessel. Blood vessels have a hollow area that
allows for easy flow of blood it's called
lumen. There will be a wall around the lumen,
which can be thick as in arteries or thin as in
capillaries.
All your blood vessels have a thin layer
of squamous epithelium that prevents clots
from forming. The layer is called endothelium
and ensures that your blood cells stay inside
the vessels all the time. There are three basic
types of blood vessels, including capillaries,
arteries and veins.

PARTS AND FUNCTIONS

Arteriestake oxygen-rich blood away from

your heart.

Veinstake blood back toward your heart.

Capillariesare very tiny blood vessels that

form a connection between arteries and veins.
The capillary walls facilitate the transfer of
oxygen, nutrients and wastes in and out of
your body.

PARTS AND FUNCTIONS

3. The Blood

Your
heart
pumps
blood
throughout your body and travels
through thousands of miles, mainly
because it has to move through the
network of blood vessels within your
body. Your blood is an amazing
substance that carries water, nutrients,
waste products and oxygen to and from
your body cells. A young person will
have up to a gallon of blood, whereas
an adult will have about 5 quarts of
blood.
It is important to note that your
blood looks like an ordinary red liquid,
but it's in fact made up of solids, liquids
and small amounts of carbon dioxide
and oxygen. Your blood also consists of
cells that perform different functions in
your body. The following table will tell
you more about different blood cells
and their functions.

PARTS AND FUNCTIONS

Red Blood Cells: These cells take oxygen from your lungs and transport
it to the rest of your body cells. After delivering the oxygen, it gathers up
the carbon dioxide and delivers it back to your lungs.

White Blood Cells: These blood cells play a role in fighting off germs
and protect you from diseases. Your body produces more white blood
cells to deal with an infection in your body.

Platelets: These blood cells help stop bleeding. When you cut yourself,
platelets start accumulating at the opening and plug up the hole to stop
bleeding. Once the platelets start sticking to the opening of a damaged
blood vessel, they start attracting more fibers, platelets and other blood
cells to prevent excessive bleeding.

Plasma: Made in the liver, the liquid part of your blood is called the
plasma and is about half of your blood is made of this substance. The
plasma transports your blood cells and many other components
throughout your body.

PARTS AND FUNCTIONS

4. The Lungs
Your lungs aren't technically
a part of circulatory system
organs, but they really help
make it possible for your
heart to function correctly.
Your lungs provide oxygen
for your body. The lungs
send oxygen-rich blood to
the left side of your heart
and your heart then uses
blood vessels and arteries to
transfer it to the rest of your
body.

5. The Arteries
The arteries are blood
vessels which function by
carrying blood from one place to
another. It is a large type of
smooth
muscle
that
is
controlled by hormones and
other special signals from the
nervous
systems.
Arteries
function by carrying the blood
away from the heart and
sending it to other places in the
body. They are also responsible
for carrying the oxygen and
other nutrients through the
organs in the body. They are
also
necessary
for
the
protection of the heart, as they
are able to resist the high
pressures that exist near it.

6. The Arterioles
Arteries, in general, get smaller
as they get further away from
the heart. They will now be
called arterioles, which are
strong and have relatively think
walls that defied their sizes. They
also contain a high percentage of
smooth muscle. Like the arteries,
arterioles work by carrying the
blood away from the heart and
out into the different tissues in
the body. Arterioles are very
important because they are
capable of regulating all the
blood flow and blood pressure
from the body.

7. Capillaries
The capillaries are the smallest
blood vessels in the body and are
mainly responsible for the
deliverance of the oxygen and other
nutrients to the tissues in the body.
They are so small that you wouldnt
be able to see them without using a
microscope. The walls of capillaries
are generally one or two cells
thicker. The process of the
distribution of the oxygen to several
tissues in the body is called
diffusion, and it is the process that
allows for the cells to receive food.
Every organ in the body has specific
capillaries, and their functions vary
from one organ to the other

8. Veins
Unlike the arteries that are
thick and very muscular,
veins are very thin and are
almost muscle-less. The
walls of the veins are very
thin such that you will be
able to see the blood inside
them. The main function of
the veins is to carry the
blood back to the heart. This
blood is now devoid of
oxygen and nutrients and is
consequently loaded with
waste products.

DISEASES OF
CIRCULATORY
SYSTEM