The Circulatory System
The Circulatory System
• Is the body system consisting of :
– the heart,
– blood,
– and blood vessels called
• arteries,
• veins,
• and capillaries.
The Circulatory System
• What’s the job of the circulatory system?
– To move nutrients and oxygen throughout the body
– To remove waste products from the body.
• Think of it as your body’s highway –
– Specialized vehicles carrying supplies to your body
(like a UPS or FedEx Truck)
– Vehicles to take the waste away (like a Garbage Truck)
Structure of the Circulatory
System
• Heart:
– Receives blood and sends blood away through
blood vessels.
• Artery: is a blood vessel that carries blood AWAY
from the heart.
• Vein: is a blood vessel that RETURNS blood to the
heart.
– Capillaries: tiny blood vessels that connect veins and
arteries.
Structure of the Circulatory
System
• Atriums: Receive
blood
– Right Atrium:
• Blood from the body
enters the right atrium
from two large veins.
The blood in these veins
is rich in carbon
dioxide, a waste
product.
Right Atrium
Structure of the Circulatory
System
Left Atrium
• Atriums Cont’d:
– Left Atrium:
• Oxygen-rich blood
returns from the lungs
to the left atrium
through two veins.
• In review – Atriums
receive blood from
either veins or the
lungs!
Structure of the Circulatory
System
• Ventricles: Send blood
to the lungs or the
body
– Right Ventricle:
• This blood flows from
the right atrium into the
right ventricle. From
the right ventricle,
blood is pumped
through arteries to the
lungs.
Right Ventricle
Structure of the Circulatory
System
Aorta
• Ventricles Cont’d:
– Left Ventricle:
• This oxygen-rich blood
flows from the left
atrium to the left
ventricle.
• The left ventricle
pumps this blood to
body cells through the
aorta, the main artery in
the body.
Left Ventricle
How does our heart work?
• http://www.sumanasinc.com/webcontent/ani
mations/content/human_heart.html
How does our heart work?
Blood out to the Body
Blood to the Lungs
Lungs
Blood from the
Body
Components of Blood
• Plasma
– 90% Water
– Transportation of blood
cells
– Contains dissolved
salts and minerals
Components of Blood
• Red Blood Cells
– Contains Hemoglobin (that
gives it its red color)
– Hemoglobin is an oxygen
magnet on account of its
iron.
– Hemoglobin transports
oxygen to the body’s cells.
– BONES produce red blood
cells.
Components of Blood
• White Blood Cells
– Oddly shaped and bigger than RBCs
– Fight germs and infections
– A drop of blood may contain between 4500 and
25000 WBCs at a time.
• If you have an infection this number increases.
• Consistently high numbers of WBCs in blood may
indicate that you have leukemia.
– Leukemic patients may have as many as 50000 in every
drop.
Components of Blood
• Platelets
– Irregularly shaped.
– Clots blood
– Scabs and Bruises are
examples of platelets at
work.
– If blood clots inside of
arteries, it cuts off the
oxygen supply.
Blood Types
• Types A, B, AB, O
• Blood types have to match before a
transfusion or the blood cells may clump
and cause a fatal blockage.
Blood Types
• Donors
– Type A can donate to A
or AB
– Type B can donate to B
or AB
– Type AB can only
donate to AB
– Type 0 is a Universal
Donor
• Recipients
– Type A can receive A,
O
– Type B can receive B,
O
– Type AB can receive
all types
– Type O can only
receive Type O
Blood Types
• RH factor have to do with blood proteins.
• You either have a + or a –
• Mothers to be need to know their RH factor
because if it doesn’t match their baby’s, the
mothers blood may attack the baby’s blood.
• Blood exchanges for the baby work.
Blood Vessels
• Arteries
–
–
–
–
Carry blood AWAY from the Heart.
Tough on the outside, smooth on the inside
Muscle can be found in the middle of the artery
When the heart relaxes, the artery contracts to
push the blood along.
Blood Vessels
• 5 main arteries
1. Carotid- main artery
in the neck
2. Radial- in the wrist
3. Brachial- in elbow
4. Femoral- between
hip and groin
• The Aorta is the
largest artery in the
body.
Blood Vessels
• Veins
– Carry blood TOWARDS the heart
– Valves prevent back flow of blood and blood
can flow from the legs up to the heart
– Veins have thin walls.
Blood Vessels
• Capillaries
– Extremely small blood
vessels.
– Transport blood from
arteries to veins
– Exchange CO2 and
O2, nutrients and
wastes
– Releases excess heat
from body (redness)
Reflection
• So far, we have learned about:
the skeletal system
the muscular system
and the circulatory system.
How do these 3 systems interact with each
other?