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Biology GCSE > Circulatory System and cardiovascular disease > Flashcards

Circulatory System and cardiovascular disease Flashcards

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1
Q

What word is used to describe the circulatory system and why?

A

Double

Two circuits joined together

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2
Q

What is the circulatory system composed of?

A

Heart
Blood vessels
Blood

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3
Q

Describe the two circuits that form the double circulatory system

A

Right ventricle pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs to take in oxygen before returning to the heart

Left ventricle pumps oxygenated blood around all the other organs of the body

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4
Q

Describe the process by which the heart pumps blood (start with the atria)

A

Blood flows into the two atria from the vena cava and the pulmonary vein

The atria contract, pushing the blood into the ventricles

The ventricles contract, forcing the blood into the pulmonary artery and the aorta and out of the heart

The blood then flows to the organs through arteries and returns through veins

The atria fill again and the whole cycle starts again

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5
Q

What are the walls of the heart made of?

A

Muscle tissue

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6
Q

What is the purpose of the valves in the heart?

A

Prevent the blood from flowing backwards and maintain the direction of the flow of blood

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7
Q

How does the heart muscle gain its own oxygen?

A

Coronary arteries

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8
Q

What is the purpose of the coronary arteries?

A

Gives the heart muscle its own blood supply
Ensures oxygenated blood is delivered to the the heart muscle
Removal of waste products from the heart muscle

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9
Q

Where do the coronary arteries branch from?

A

Aorta

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10
Q

What is resting heart rate controlled by?

A

Group of cells located in the right atrium that act as a pacemaker

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11
Q

How do the pacemaker cells act to control the resting heart rate?

A

Produce small impulses which spreads to the surrounding muscle cells causing them to contract

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12
Q

Describe the use of an artificial pacemaker?

A

Used to control heartbeat if natural pacemaker cells do not work properly (irregular heartbeat)
Device is implanted under the skin and a wire goes into the heart
Produces electrical current causing the heart beat to become regular

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13
Q

List the 3 types of blood vessel

A

Artery
Capillary
Vein

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14
Q

What is the function or arteries?

A

Carry blood away from the heart

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15
Q

What is the function of veins?

A

Carry blood to the heart

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16
Q

What is the function of capillaries?

A

Involved in the exchange of materials at the tissues

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17
Q

Describe the structure of arteries

A

Thick walls
Strong walls
Elastic walls
Smaller lumen

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18
Q

What is the purpose of the structure of the artery

A

Carry blood under high pressure
Allow the artery to stretch and spring back
Strong

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19
Q

Describe the structure of capillaries

A

Small
Permeable walls
Thin walls - one cell thick

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20
Q

Where are capillaries found?

A

Between arteries and veins

Close to cells

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21
Q

Why are capillary walls permeable?

A

So diffusion can occur

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22
Q

Why are capillary walls one cell thick?

A

Reduce the diffusion distance

and increases the rate of diffusion

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23
Q

Describe the structure of veins

A

Larger lumen
Walls are thinner than those of arteries
Valves

24
Q

Why is the lumen of a vein so big?

A

Help blood flow at low pressure

25
Q

What is the function of the valves in the vein?

A

Help keeps the blood flowing in the right direction

26
Q

Give the equation for the rate of blood flow

A

Rate of blood flow = volume of blood / number of minutes

27
Q

What is the function of the red blood cells?

A

Carry oxygen

28
Q

Describe how the structure of the red blood cells allows them to complete their job

A

Biconcave disc - large surface area for absorbing oxygen
No nucleus - allows more space to carry oxygen
Contain haemoglobin - oxygen attaches

29
Q

What happens to the haemoglobin in the lungs?

A

Oxygen binds to form oxyhaemoglobin

30
Q

What happens in the body to the haemoglobin?

A

Splits the oxyhaemoglobin to release oxygen into the cells

31
Q

What is the function of the white blood cells?

A

Phagocytosis - white blood cells can engulf pathogens and destroy them

Produce antibodies - fight microorganisms

Produce antitoxins - neutralise toxins produced by the microorganisms

32
Q

How are white blood cells different from red blood cells?

A

WBC contain a nucleus

33
Q

What are platelets?

A

Small fragments of cells

No nucleus

34
Q

What is the function of platelets?

A

Help blood to clot at a wound
Stop bleeding
Prevent the entry of microorganisms

35
Q

What does a lack of platelets cause?

A

Excessive bleeding and bruising

36
Q

What is plasma?

A

Straw coloured fluid that carries everything in the blood

37
Q

What does plasma contain?

A 
Red blood cells
White blood cells 
Nutrients such as glucose and amino acids (soluble products of digestion)
Carbon dioxide
Urea (from the liver to kidneys)
Hormones
Proteins
Antibodies
Antitoxins
38
Q

What is coronary heart disease?

A

Coronary arteries supplying the heart get blocked by fatty material building up in layers.
Arteries become narrower so blood flow is restricted and there is a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle

39
Q

What can coronary heart disease (CHD) lead to?

A

Heart attack

40
Q

What are stents?

A

Tubes inserted into arteries to keep them open and allow blood to pass through to the heart muscle - keeps heart beating

41
Q

What are the pros and cons of stents?

A

Lowers risk of heart attack
Effective in long term
Recovery is quick
However operation has its own risks of complications and infection after surgery. Risk of blood clots developing near the stent after surgery

42
Q

What is another name for a blood clot?

A

Thrombosis

43
Q

What is cholesterol?

A

Essential lipid that the body produces and requires to function

44
Q

What can too much cholesterol cause?

A

Health problems eg CHD

Fatty deposits in arteries leading to CHD

45
Q

Which cholesterol is known as the bad cholesterol?

A

LDL

46
Q

What are statins?

A

Drugs that can reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol present in the blood
Slows the rate of fatty deposits forming

47
Q

What are the advantages of statins?

A

Reduce bad LDL cholesterol so reduce the risk of strokes, CHD and heart attacks
Increase the amount of beneficial HDL cholesterol which can remove LDL from the blood
May prevent other diseases

48
Q

What are the disadvantages of statins?

A

Long term drug that must be taken regularly - people may forget to take them
Side effects - sometimes these are serious eg. kidney failure, liver damage and memory loss
Effect is not instant

49
Q

What are the treatment options for someone with heart failure?

A

Heart transplant

Artificial heart

50
Q

What is an artificial heart?

A

Mechanical device that pumps blood
Temporary fix - keep person alive until a donor heart becomes available
Can be used long term

51
Q

What is the advantage of an artificial heart?

A

Less likely to be rejected by the bodys immune system

52
Q

What is the disadvantage of an artificial heart?

A

Surgery has risks eg. bleeding and infection
Artificial hearts do not work as efficiently as natural ones
Electrical motor could fail
Blood does not flow as smoothly through the artificial heart and so blood clots could form and could cause strokes
Blood thinning drugs must be taken to reduce the risk of clots and therefore stroke which could cause problems if the patient cuts their self

53
Q

How can the valves in the heart become weak or damaged?

A

Infection
Heart attack
Old age

54
Q

What can the damage to heart valves cause?

A

Stiffened valves - valves do not open properly
Leaky valves - valve is always open

Both allow blood to flow in both directions - circulation is not efficient

55
Q

How is severe valve damage treated?

A

Replacing the faulty valves with biological (from humans or animals) or mechanical (manmade)

56
Q

What is the risk of valve surgery?

A

Blood clots

57
Q

Describe artificial blood and when it is used

A

When someone loses lots of blood their heart can still pump the remaining blood around as long as the volume can be topped up
Artificial blood is a blood substitute and can keep people alive even if they have lost 2/3 of their blood volume
May give patient more time to make new blood cells

Biology GCSE (14 decks)

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