The Structure of the
Cardiovascular
System
General introduction
The Cardiovascular System
• Also known as
• Made up of
–The Heart
–The Blood Vessels
–The Blood
The Heart
• The heart is a muscular pump with thick walls
• It is made up of a special muscle
• It is divided up into 2 halves
• Each half contracts rhythmically.
• The right side sends
blood to the
lungs to get Oxygen.
• The left side sends
blood to the body.
The Blood Vessels
• The body has a range of blood vessels
 Arteries
 Arterioles
 Capilleries
 Venules
 Veins
• They carry the blood around your body to the tissues
and back to the heart
The Blood
• Blood carries the different materials
around your body
• Blood cells make up
about 45% of the blood
volume.
• The other 55% is plasma
– Carries nutrients,
hormones and all other
essentials.
The Cardiovascular System
• Delivers
– Oxygen to the body tissues from the lungs
– Nutrients to the liver from the intestines
• Removes
– Carbon Dioxide from the cells to the lungs, to
be excreted
– Waste products from the liver to the kidneys.
• Transports white blood cells, antibodies and
hormones to different parts of the body.
Task…
Look on the VLE and upload the document
that needs general questions answered
regarding the Circulatory System…
- It will help you with regard to completing the
assessment tasks and will form part of your notes.
- There are some helpful web addresses at the bottom of
the VLE page that will help you 