Structure of the Cardiovascular System Flashcards
What is the cardiovascular system made up of
-heart
-blood vessel
Three types of blood vessels
-arteries
-veins
-capillaries
Lumen
each blood vessel has a central cavity, called lumen
-the endothelium lining=the central lumen of blood vessels is surrounded by layers of tissue
Arteries
-Arteries have an outer layer of connective tissue containing elastic fibres and a middle layer containing smooth muscle with more elastic fibres.
-The elastic walls of the arteries stretch and recoil to accommodate the surge of blood after each contraction of the heart.
what do arteries flow into
arterioles
Veins
-Veins have an outer layer of connective tissue containing elastic fibres but a much thinner muscular wall than arteries.
-They contain valves to prevent the backflow of blood.
what vessels bring blood to the vein from capillaries
venules
Capillaries
-Capillaries allow exchange of substances with tissues through their thin walls.
-Capillaries connect arterioles to venules.
how are they all connected?
artery-arteriole-capillary-venule-veins
Vasoconstriction and vasodilation
To control blood flow,the smooth muscle in the arterioles can either contract (vasoconstrict) or relax (vasodilate) depending on the requirements of the body.
Blood
-Blood consists of:-
Red blood cells
White cells
Platelets
-These components of blood are found suspended in plasma, a watery yellow fluid.
Plasma
-Plasma contains dissolved substances such as glucose, amino acids, respiratory gases, plasma protein and useful ions.
Tissue Fluid
-Blood arriving at the arteriole side of a capillary bed is at higher pressure than the blood in the capillaries.
-As blood is forced into these narrow capillaries, it undergoes pressure filtration.
-This is when much of the plasma (containing small dissolved molecules) is squeezed out through the thin endothelium of the capillaries
Pressure Filtration
-Pressure filtration causes plasma to pass through capillary walls into the tissue fluid surrounding the cells.
-Tissue fluid supplies cells with glucose, oxygen and other substances. Carbon dioxide and other metabolic wastes diffuse out of the cells and into the tissue fluid to be excreted. Much of the tissue fluid returns to the blood.
Exchange of materials
-Glucose, oxygen and ions, diffuse from a high concentration in the tissue fluid into the body cells.
-At the same time, carbon dioxide and other metabolic waste diffuse out of the cells into the tissue fluid for excretion.
Lymphatic return
Lymphatic vessels absorb excess tissue fluid and return it as lymph to the circulatory system.
Lymphatic system and flow of lymph
-Flow of lymph brought about by compression when muscles contract during body movements.
-Backflow of lymph is prevented because lymph vessels have valves
-Lymph eventually returns to the blood stream via two lymphatic ducts, which enter into veins in the arms
Heart
The heart is a muscular pump made up of cardiac muscle
The left ventricle has a thicker muscular wall than the right ventricle
Blood pumped from the left ventricle must be moved all the way around the body the right ventricle pumps blood only to the lungs
Semi-lunar valves
Prevent blood flowing backward from the arteries leaving the heart into the ventricles
Atrioventricular valves
(Bicuspid)
Prevent blood flowing backward from the left ventricle into left atrium.
Atrioventricular valves
(Tricuspid)
Prevent blood flowing backward from the right ventricle into right atrium.
Coronary Artery
The coronary arteries supply the heart muscle with OXYGEN and nutrients.
The flow of blood around the body
-Blood returns back to the heart through the vena cava.
-Blood enters the right atrium
-The right atrium contracts and forces blood through the triscupid valve(AV Valve)
-Blood enters the right ventricle
-The right ventricle contracts and forces blood through the pulmonary valve (semi lunar valve).
-Blood travels in the pulmonary artery to the lungs.
-When the blood reaches the alveoli, oxygen diffuses into the blood and carbon dioxide diffuses into the alveoli.
-Blood returns back to the heart through the pulmonary vein
-Blood enters the left atrium
-The left atrium contracts and forces blood through the biscupid valve(AV Valve)
-Blood enters the left ventricle.
-The left ventricle contracts and forces blood through the aortic valve (semi lunar valve).
-Blood travels in the
aorta to the body.
-When the blood reaches the
body cells, oxygen diffuses into the cells and carbon dioxide diffuses into the blood