B4: The Blood/ Heart🫀 Flashcards
What does plasma carry?
Red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
What other substances does plasma transport around the body?
Waste carbon dioxide, urea and small soluble products of digestion.
What is red blood cells’ main purpose?
To pick up oxygen from the lungs and transport it to cells around the body.
What adaptations do red blood cells have, making them very efficient?
They are biconcave discs, packed with haemoglobin and they have no nucleus.
What are white blood cells’ main purpose?
To protect the body against harmful microorganisms.
Platelets are small _________ of cells.
Fragments.
Do platelets have a nucleus?
No.
What are platelets main purpose?
To help the clotting process at wound sites.
Arteries carry blood ______ from the heart.
Away.
Do arteries carry oxygenated or less oxygenated blood?
Oxygenated.
Do arteries have thick or thin walls?
Thick.
Veins carry blood _______ the heart.
Towards.
Is the blood in veins oxygenated or less oxygenated?
Less oxygenated.
Do veins have thin or thick walls?
Thin.
Capillaries are ____ vessels that link the veins and arteries.
Tiny.
Describe the structure of capillaries.
Thin and narrow.
Why do capillaries have such thin walls?
To allow the easy diffusion of oxygen and glucose.
What supplies the heart muscles with oxygen?
Coronary arteries.
What are the top chambers of the heart called?
The atria.
The blood fills the right atrium via the _____ ______?
Vena cava.
Does the right atrium fill with oxygenated or deoxygenated blood?
Deoxygenated.
Blood fills the left atrium via the __________ ______?
Pulmonary vein.
Is the blood that fills the left atrium oxygenated or deoxygenated?
Oxygenated.
The ventricles ________ and force blood out of the heart.
Contract.
The blood leaves the right side via the __________ ______?
Pulmonary artery.
The blood leaves the left side via the _______.
Aorta
What do valves in the heart do?
Ensure the blood flows in the correct direction.
What is noticeable different about the walls of the left atrium?
The walls are much thicker.
What solves coronary heart disease?
A stent.
What is a stent?
A metal mesh that is placed in the artery.
Does a stent require general anaesthetic?
No.
What is bypass surgery?
Replacing coronary arteries with veins from elsewhere.
Does bypass surgery require general anaesthetic?
Yes.
What are mechanical valves commonly made of?
Titanium and polymers.
Do you need medicine for a mechanical valve and why?
Yes, to prevent clotting around it.
How long do biological valves last?
12-15 years.
What does an artificial pacemaker do?
Correct irregularities in the heart beat.
Do people with artificial pacemakers need regular health checks?
Yes.
What do artificial hearts do?
Keep the heart beating steadily while people wait for a donor heart.
What is a risk of an artificial heart?
Blood clotting.
