Cardiovascular system Flashcards
What is the main function of the circulatory system?
Transportation
What does the circulatory system do?
Delivers oxygen and nutrients needed for metabolic processes to the tissues and carries waste from the tissues to the kidneys for elimination.
Also circulates electrolytes and hormones needed to regulate body function and regulates body temp. by transporting heat to the periphery.
The heart is a…
4 chambered muscular pump that beats approx. 70 times a minute and moves over 1800 gallons of blood throughout the body in a day.
Where is the heart located?
Mediastinal space of the thoracic cavity in a loose sac called the pericardium
The wall of the heart is composed of
epicardium (lines the pericardial cavity), myocardium (muscle layer), and smooth endocardium (lines the chambers of the heart)
What divides the heart into a right and left pump?
Interarterial and interventricular septa
Atrium
serves as a reservoir for blood coming into the heart
Ventricle
pumps blood out of the heart
Why is the left ventricular wall thicker than the right?
results from the additional work this ventricle performs in moving oxygenated blood to the extremities.
pericardium
forms a fibrous covering around the heart, holding it in a fixed position, preventing acute dilation of the chambers, and providing physical protection and a barrier to infection
What does the fibrous layer of the pericardium attach to?
great vessels of the heart, sternum, and diaphragm.
What does the visceral layer (epicardium) cover?
the heart and great vessels and folds over to form the parietal layer that lines the fibrous pericardium..
what is the pericardial cavity?
potential space containing 30-50mL of serous fluid. provides lubricant to minimize friction as the heart contracts and relaxes
