Glossary - Circulatory System

Question 1

albumin

Answer 1

most abundant plasma protein, accounting for most of the osmotic pressure of plasma

Question 2

anastomosis (plural = anastomoses)

Answer 2

) area where vessels unite to allow blood to circulate even if there may be partial blockage in another branch

Question 3

anterior cardiac veins

Answer 3

vessels that parallel the small cardiac arteries and drain the anterior surface of the right ventricle; bypass the coronary sinus and drain directly into the right atrium

Question 4

anterior interventricular artery (also, left anterior descending artery or LAD)

Answer 4

major branch of the left coronary artery that follows the anterior interventricular sulcus

Question 5

anterior interventricular sulcus

Answer 5

sulcus located between the left and right ventricles on the anterior surface of the heart

Question 6

antibodies (also, immunoglobulins or gamma globulins)

Answer 6

(also, immunoglobulins or gamma globulins) antigen-specific proteins produced by specialized B lymphocytes that protect the body by binding to foreign objects such as bacteria and viruses

Question 7

aortic valve (also, aortic semilunar valve)

Answer 7

valve located at the base of the aorta

Question 8

aortic valve (also, aortic semilunar valve)

Answer 8

valve located at the base of the aortaarteriole (also, resistance vessel) very small artery that leads to a capillary

Question 9

arteriovenous anastomosis

Answer 9

short vessel connecting an arteriole directly to a venule and bypassing the capillary beds

Question 10

artery

Answer 10

blood vessel that conducts blood away from the heart; may be a conducting or distributing vessel

Question 11

atrioventricular septum

Answer 11

cardiac septum located between the atria and ventricles; atrioventricular valves are located here

Question 12

atrioventricular valves

Answer 12

one-way valves located between the atria and ventricles; the valve on the right is called the tricuspid valve, and the one on the left is the mitral or bicuspid valve

Question 13

atrium (plural = atria)

Answer 13

upper or receiving chamber of the heart that pumps blood into the lower chambers just prior to their contraction; the right atrium receives blood from the systemic circuit that flows into the right ventricle; the left atrium receives blood from the pulmonary circuit that flows into the left ventricle

Question 14

auricle

Answer 14

extension of an atrium visible on the superior surface of the heart

Question 15

bicuspid valve (also, mitral valve or left atrioventricular valve)

Answer 15

valve located between the left atrium and ventricle; consists of two flaps of tissue

Question 16

blood

Answer 16

liquid connective tissue composed of formed elements—erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets—and a fluid extracellular matrix called plasma; component of the cardiovascular system

Question 17

capacitance

Answer 17

ability of a vein to distend and store blood

Question 18

capacitance vessels

Answer 18

Veins

Question 19

capillary

Answer 19

smallest of blood vessels where physical exchange occurs between the blood and tissue cells surrounded by interstitial fluid

Question 20

capillary bed

Answer 20

network of 10–100 capillaries connecting arterioles to venules

Question 21

cardiac notch

Answer 21

depression in the medial surface of the inferior lobe of the left lung where the apex of the heart is located