Circulatory System Flashcards
What makes up blood?
Plasma
Erythrocytes (red blood cells)
Leukocytes (white blood cells)
Thrombocytes (platelets)
What is plasma made up of?
90% water
10% ions, proteins, nutrients, waste and dissolved gases
Albumin - most abundant protein found in plasma
What does plasma do?
Transports hormones and antibodies
Works with the platelets to cause the blood to clot
How do Erythrocytes form?
The formation of RBCs is called erythropoiesis.
It is done in bone marrow through hemocytoblast (a type of stem cell)
They take 2 days to form and 2,000,000 are made every second
More are made when a hormone called erythropoietin is secreted
What is an erythrocyte and what does it do?
Red blood cell
Transports oxygen and carbon dioxide
What is the structure of an erythrocyte?
Biconcave - increases the surface area
No mitocondria so the cell doesn’t use up all the oxygen it’s transporting
No nucleus so there’s more space for the haemoglobin (what oxygen binds to)
What are the blood vessels?
Arteries
Veins
Capillaries
What are leukocytes and what is their function?
White blood cells
Immune response
What is the structure of a leukocyte?
Larger than erythrocytes (rbcs)
Contains a nucleus and mitochondria
5 different types with their own roles
What are veins?
A type of blood vessel that carries deoxygenated blood towards the heart.
What is the structure of a vein?
Thin walls as the blood pressure is low
Contains valves to prevent back flow from low pressure
What is a thrombocyte and what does it do?
A platelet
Blood clotting
What is a thrombocytes structure?
No nucleus
0.1% of blood composition
What is an artery?
Arteries are a kind of blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood away from the heart
- except the pulmonary artery which carries deoxygenated blood to the lungs
What is the structure of an artery?
It has thick walls as the blood is tight pressure. (Coming away from the heart so blood is being pumped)
What do capillaries do?
They exchange gas and nutrients from arteries and veins to the surrounding tissue.
What is the structure of a capillary?
They’re the smallest blood vessel
They’re one cell thick and very permeable so gas and liquids exchange through it easily
What does the heart do?
Pumps blood around the body
Controls the heart rate
Controls the blood pressure
Structures of the heart
What is the atria?
The first chamber of the heart
The right side goes to the lungs
The left side goes to the body
The myocardial (cardiac muscle) is thin as it doesn’t have to pump blood very far
What are the ventricles?
The right pumps blood into the lungs
The left pumps blood into the body
Thick myocardium (cardiac muscle) as it pumps blood a long distance
The left pumps blood at a higher temperature so is thicker
What is the aorta?
The main artery
Pumps blood to the body
What is the vena cava?
Main vein
carries deoxygenated blood to the heart
Superior carries blood from the chest and up
Inferior carries blood from below the chest
What are the pulmonary veins?
There are four
They carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium