Cardiovascular System Flashcards
Cardiovascular systems functions
Delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the body’s tissue while removing waste and aiding in temperature regulation and acid-base balance
Components of the cardiovascular system
Heart, blood vessels, and blood
Blood
The fluid component of the cardiovascular system that links the internal environment of the body to the external environment by transporting material between, and to various cells and tissues
Plasma
The liquid component of blood that carries hormones, plasma proteins, food materials, ions, and gases throughout the body
Non-plasma portion of blood
Formed elements including red blood cells, various types of white blood cells, and platelets
Categories of blood vessels
Arteries and arterioles, veins and venules, and capillaries
Arteries and arterioles
Carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart
Veins and venules
Return oxygen-depleted blood to the heart
Capillaries
Provide sites for gas, nutrient, and waste exchange between blood and tissues
Arteriosclerosis
Hardening and narrowing of arteries due to plaque accumulation that increases blood pressure, most commonly seen in older adults
Circuits of the heart
Pulmonary circuit (right side that receives oxygen depleted blood from the body) and systemic circuit (left side that pumps pumps oxygen rich blood to the body)
Pulmonary circuit (right side of the heart)
Receives partially oxygen-depleted blood containing elevated levels of carbon dioxide from the body and pushes it into the lungs, where the blood releases carbon dioxide in exchange for oxygen
Systemic circuit (left side of the heart)
Receives newly-oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to various cells and tissues of the body
Atria
Receiving chambers of the heart
Ventricle
Propulsion chambers of the heart
Atrioventricular valve
Heart valve that separates the atria from the ventricle
Tricuspid valve
Right atrioventricular valve
Mitral valve (bicuspid valve)
Left atrioventricular valve
Venous blood
Blood returning to the heart through the veins
Pulmonary arteries
Arteries that transport blood from the right ventricle to the lungs, only arteries that carry partially oxygen-depleted blood
Pulmonary veins
Veins that transport freshly-oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium, only veins that carry oxygen-rich blood
Interventricular septum
Muscular wall preventing the mixture of blood between the right and left ventricles of the heart
Cardiac cycle
The period from the beginning of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next
Systole
Contraction phase of the cardiac cycle, during which blood leaves the ventricles
Diastole
Relaxation phase of the cardiac cycle, during which blood fills the ventricles
Valves of the heart
Tricuspid valve, pulmonary valve, mitral valve, aortic valve
