Circulatory System Flashcards
Roles of the circulatory system
- Distribute nutrients from the digestive tract, liver, and adipose tissue
- Transport oxygen from the lungs to the entire body and carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs
- Transport metabolic waste products from tissues to the excretory system
- Transport hormones from endocrine glands to targets and provide feedback
- Maintain homeostasis of body temperature
- Hemostasis (blood clotting)
Perfusion
The flow of blood through a tissue
Ischemia
Inadequate blood flow
Hypoxia
Adequate circulation is present but the supply of oxygen is reduced
Heart
A muscular pump that forces blood through a branching series of vessels to the lungs and the rest of the body
Arteries
Vessels that carry blood away from the heart at high pressure
Veins
Vessels that carry blood toward the heart at low pressure
Lack a muscular wall
Important roles of the endothelial cells
- Vasodilation and vasoconstriction: Important in maintaining blood pressure, tissue oxygenation, and thermoregulation
- Inflammation
- Angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels)
- Thrombosis (blood clotting)
Pulmonary circulation
The flow of blood from the heart to the lungs and back to the heart
Systemic circulation
The flow of blood from the heart to the rest of the body and back again
Portal systems
Evolved as direct transport systems, to transport nutrients directly from the intestine to the liver or hormones from the hypothalamus to the pituitary, without passing through the whole body
Coronary arteries
Supply blood tot he wall of the heart
Coronary veins
Deoxygenated blood from the heart collects here
Coronary sinus
A collection of coronary veins
Blood here is the only blood that does not end up in the inferior vena cava or superior vena cava
Drains directly into the right atrium
Valves
Are necessary to ensure one-way flow through the circulatory system
Biscuspid valve
Between the left atrium and the left ventricle
Tricuspid valve
Between the right atrium and right ventricle
Semilunar valves
Pulmonary and aortic semilunar valves
Diastole
Ventricles are relaxed and blood is able to flow into them from the atria
Atria contract during diastole to propel blood into the ventricles more rapidly
Systole
Ventricles contract
Heart rate
The number of times the “lub-dup” cardiac cycle is repeated per minute
Stroke volume
The amount of blood pumped with each systole
Cardiac output
The total amount of blood pumped per minute