Biology - The Circulatory System

Question 1

Heart Function

Answer 1

The heart is an organ that pumps blood around the body in a double circulatory system. (Heart to lungs to heart; heart to rest of body to heart)

Question 2

What happens in the right ventricle?

Answer 2

Pumps blood to the lungs where gas exchange takes place

Question 3

Left ventricle

Answer 3

Thicker wall with more muscle to generate a higher pressure to pump blood a longer distance to the rest of the body

Question 4

Pacemaker cells

Answer 4

The natural resting heart rate is controlled by a group of cells located in the right atrium that act as a pacemaker

Question 5

Red Blood Cells Function

Answer 5

Red blood cells contain haemoglobin which binds to oxygen to transport it from the lungs to the tissues

Question 6

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)

Answer 6

In coronary heart disease, layers of fatty material build up inside the coronary arteries, narrowing them, reducing the flow of blood and resulting in a lack of oxygen to the heart cells

Question 7

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Treatment

Answer 7

Stents are used to keep the coronary arteries open. Statins are widely used to reduce blood cholesterol levels which slow down the rate of fatty material deposit

Question 8

Heart Failure Treatment

Answer 8

In the case of heart failure, a donor heart, or heart and lungs can be transplanted. Artificial hearts are occasionally used to keep patients alive whilst waiting for a heart transplant, or to allow the heart to rest as an aid to recovery