Structures of the Cardiovascular System Flashcards
Where is the heart located?
in the thoracic cavity between the lungs and behind the sternum
How many layers is the wall of the heart? What are their names?
three, the epicardium, myocardium, and endocardium
What is the epicardium and what does it do?
it is the outermost layer of the heart, it protects the inner heart’s layers and holds blood vessels
What is the myocardium and what does it do?
it is the middle layer of the walls of the heart, it consists of specialized cardiac muscle tissue that stimulates the contractions that pump blood through the blood vessels
What is the endocardium and what does it do?
it is the innermost layer of the heart, it lines the chambers and valves of the heart
How many chambers are in the heart and what are they called?
there is two upper chambers called the atria and two lower chambers called the ventricles
What do the atria and ventricles do?
the atria collect blood and deliver it to ventricles, ventricles pump blood to the systemic and pulmonary circulations
What do the valves of the heart do and what are they called?
they are the mitral, tricuspid, aortic, and pulmonary valve. they allow blood in and out of the heart chambers and prevent backflow of blood
Where is the mitral valve located?
between the left atrium and left ventricle
Where is the tricuspid located?
between the right atrium and the right ventricle
Where is the aortic valve located?
between the left ventricle and the aorta
Where is the pulmonary valve located?
between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery
What is pulmonary circulation?
a cycle that takes the deoxygenated blood into the right side of the heart wjich pumps it into the lungs to pick up oxygen
What is systemic circulation?
a cycle that returns oxygenated blood to the left side of the heart which pumps it to all of the tissues of the body
What do blood vessels do and what are the three main types?
blood vessels carry blood through the body, the main types of blood vessels are arteries, capillaries, and veins
What are arteries and what do they do?
they are blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from the heart
What are arterioles and what do they do?
small blood vessels that help carry the blood away from your heart by connecting the arteries and capillaries
What are capillaries and what do they do?
tiny blood vessels that transport blood, nutrients and oxygen to cells
What are venules and what do they do?
small blood vessels that pick up blood from the capillaries and deposit it into veins so it can be transported back to the heart
What are veins and what do they do?
blood vessels that carry deoxygenated blood from the body back to the heart
What is the aorta and what does it do?
it is an artery (aka blood vessel) that carries blood away from the heart to to the rest of the body
Where is the aorta located?
it runs from the heart through the center of the chest and abdomen
What is the abdominal aorta
a segment of the aorta located in the abdominal cavity
What are carotid arteries
two large blood vessels on each side of the neck that supply the brain and head with blood
What is the superior vena cava
a large vein that brings blood from the head and arms into the heart
What is the inferior vena cava?
a large vein that brings blood from the abdomen and legs into the heart
What cells are in the blood that help us maintain our body tissue?
erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes. these three are also known as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets
What do red blood cells do?
they are filled with hemoglobin and carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body
What do white blood cells do?
they defend against infections
What do platelets do?
they help blood to clot when injuries occur
What are the four blood types?
A, B, AB and O
Where do you get your blood type from?
you inherit it from your parents
How are the four blood types classified?
their classification is based on the presence or absence of antigens on the surface of the red blood cells
What is an antigen?
any substance that causes the body to make an immune response against that substance
What antigen is on the surface of each blood type?
type A has the A antigen, type b has the B antigen, type AB has both the A and B antigen, and type O has no antigens on the surface
What kind of blood can type A receive?
Type A can receive Type A and Type O
What kind of blood can Type B receive?
Type B can receive Type B and Type O
What kind of blood can Type AB receive?
Type AB can receive Type A, B, AB, and O
What kind of blood can Type O receive?
Type O can only receive blood from Type O
How do doctors make sure a blood transfusion is possible between two patients?
the recipient’s and donor’s blood are mixed to check compatibility
What is the Rh factor?
a protein found on the surface of red blood cells
How is it determined whether your blood is negative or positive?
if your blood contains the Rh protein, you are Rh postive, if it does not you are Rh negative
What is the most common blood type in the US
Type O+
What blood type is also known as the “universal recipient”?
Type AB+
What blood type is considered the “universal donor”?
Type O-
