Chapter 4-Circulatory System Flashcards
Blood
the red liquid that circulates around the body. It is made up of plasma, blood cells and platelets.
Erythrocytes
Red blood cells.
Leucocytes
White blood cells
Plasma
the yellowish, liquid part of blood that contains water, minerals, food and wastes from cells
Red Blood Cells
living cells in the blood that transport oxygen to all other living cells in the body
Haemoglobim
the red pigment in red blood cells that carries oxygen
Oxyhaemoglobin
haemoglobin with oxygen molecules attached
White Blood Cells
living cells that fight bacteria and viruses as part of the human body’s immune system
Platelets
small bodies involved in blood clotting. They are responsible for healing by clumping together around a wound.
Circulatory System
the body system that circulates oxygen in blood to all the cells of the body. The circulatory system consists of the heart, the blood vessels and blood.
Arteries
hollow tubes (vessels) with thick walls carrying blood pumped from the heart to other body parts. There is the pulmonary artery which directs deoxygenated blood to the lungs and the Aorta which directs oxygenated blood to organs/around the body.
Veins
blood vessels that carry blood back to the heart. They have valves and thinner walls than arteries.
Capillaries
minute tubes carrying blood to body cells. Every cell of the body is supplied with blood through capillaries.
Oxygen
a gas in the air (and water) that animals need to breathe in; made up of particles with two oxygen atoms. Plants produce oxygen as part of photosynthesis.
Oxygenated blood
Blood that carries oxygen via haemoglobin
Deoxygenated blood
describes blood from which some oxygen has been removed
Vena Cava
large vein leading into the top right chamber of the heart
Left Atrium
upper left section of the heart where oxygenated blood from the lungs enters the heart
Right Atrium
upper right section of the heart where deoxygenated blood from the body enters
Left Ventricle
lower left section of the heart, which pumps oxygenated blood to all parts of the body
Right Ventricle
lower right section of the heart, which pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs
Valves
flap-like folds in the lining of a blood vessel or other hollow organ that allow a liquid, such as blood, to flow in one direction only. There is the Tricuspid valve inbetween the right Atrium and right Ventricle, and the Bicuspid (mitral) valve inbetween the left Atrium and left ventricle. With the pulmonary artery is the pulmonary valve. With the Aorta is the Aortic valve.
‘Lub Dub’
the sound made by the heart valves as they close
Blood Pressure
measures how strongly the blood is pumped through the body’s main arteries
Systolic Pressure
the higher blood pressure reading during contraction of the heart muscles
Diastolic Pressure
the lower blood pressure reading during relaxation of the heart muscles
Heartbeat
contraction of the heart muscle occurring about 60–100 times per minute
Pulse
alternating contraction and expansion of arteries due to the pumping of blood by the heart
Pacemaker
electronic device inserted in the chest to keep the heart beating regularly at the correct rate. It works by stimulating the heart with tiny electrical impulses.
Cardiac Muscle
special kind of muscle in the heart that never tires. It is involved in pumping blood through the heart.
Pulmonary artery
the vessel through which deoxygenated blood, carrying wastes from respiration, travels from the heart to the lungs
Pulmonary vein
the vessel through which oxygenated blood travels from your lungs to the heart
Aorta
a large artery through which oxygenated blood is pumped at high pressure from the left ventricle of the heart to the body
Arterioles
vessels that transport oxygenated blood from the arteries to the capillaries
Venules
Small veins
