In pairs, write down as many structures of the cardiovascular system as you can. Once you get stuck, begin to ask other students who you are sat near to.

For all students to:

Identify the 3 main structures of the cardiovascular system.

Identify the 4 main chambers of the heart.

List at a minimum of 4 specific structures of the heart (not including the 4 main chambers)

For students to list 4 names of blood vessels

The cardiovascular system can also be called the circulatory system.
This system is the major transport system in the body by which food, oxygen and all other essential products are carried to the tissue cells, and their waste products and carbon dioxide are carried away. (Barker et al, 2007)

The Circulatory System
The circulatory system is also known as the cardiovascular system.
It consists of…
1.
Blood 2.
Blood Vessels 3.
The Heart

The heart is the centre of the cardiovascular system. It is a hollow organ situated in the lefthand side of the chest, below the sternum, and is about the size of a closed fist.
It is a muscular pump, the purpose of which is to drive blood into and through the arteries in order to deliver blood to your tissues and working muscles.

The heart is surrounded by a sac known as pericardium. This is a twin-layered sac, with its cavity filled with pericardial fluid, the purpose of which is to prevent friction as your heart continually moves through beating

Activity 1
Individually you have to draw the structure of the heart.

The four chambers of the heart have special names:
An upper chamber is called an atrium (plural: atria). right atrium left atrium right ventricle left ventricle
A lower chamber is called a ventricle .

Here are some other important parts of the heart:
The walls are made of cardiac muscle .
The wall dividing the left and right sides of the heart is called the septum .
The semi-lunar valves prevent expelled blood flowing back into the heart.
Bicuspid
(mitral) valve
Tricuspid valve
These two valves prevent blood flowing back into the atria from the ventricles.

There are 5 different types of blood vessels.
Students are in 2 groups, and you have 2 minutes to come up with the answer. First group to write all 5 down and give to the teacher wins.

There are 5 main blood vessels:

Arteries

Arterioles

Capillaries

Veins

Venules

Arteries
The Major Blood Vessels
Veins

Thick outer wall
Arteries carry blood away from the heart, and carry oxygenated blood (except pulmonary artery). Arteries have good elasticity and contractibility.
Thick inner layer of muscle and elastic fibres
They have thick muscular walls to carry blood at high speeds under high pressure
Narrow central tube (lumen)


Arterioles have thinner walls than arteries. These vessels control blood distribution by changing their diameter.

Are essentially responsible for controlling blood flow to the capillaries.

Capillaries form an extensive network that connects arteries and vein by uniting arterioles and Venules.
wall only one cell thick
They are the smallest of all blood vessels and are very narrow and thin. This is essential to allow diffusion of oxygen and nutrients required by the cells of the body

Veins return deoxygenated blood to the heart. They have thinner walls than arteries and have a relatively large diameter.
thin outer wall
When blood finally reaches the veins, blood is flowing slowly and at a low pressure. Therefore contracting muscles push the thin walls of the veins inward to help squeeze the blood back to the heart thin inner layer of muscle and elastic fibres wide central tube (lumen)


They have thinner walls than arterioles. They collect blood leaving the capillaries and transport it to the veins

There are three types of blood vessels , as shown in this magnified part of the circulatory system.
blood from the heart blood to the heart artery carries blood a way from the heart vein carries blood back in to the heart carries blood to and from the body’s cells
Why are there different types of blood vessels?

PULMONARY CIRCULATION
CARRIES BLOOD FROM THE HEART
TO THE LUNGS AND BACK AGAIN
SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION
CARRIES BLOOD FROM THE HEART
TO THE REST OF THE BODY AND
BACK AGAIN

Deoxygenated blood is pumped from the heart to the lungs through the pulmonary artery .
lungs
Oxygenated blood returns to the heart through the pulmonary vein .
Deoxygenated blood returns to the heart through the vena cava .
body’s cells
Oxygenated blood is pumped at high pressure from the heart to the body through the aorta .

The pulmonary circulation carries: deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs lungs oxygenated blood back from the lungs to the heart, ready to be pumped out to the body.
The systemic circulation carries: oxygenated blood to the rest of the body through the arteries deoxygenated blood back to the heart through the veins.
body’s cells