Circulatory System Notes and Vocabulary










Left and Right Atrium (Atria – plural) – receive blood.
Left and Right Ventricles – send out blood.
Pulmonary Veins – 4 total – handles O2 blood from lungs to L. Atrium.
Left Atrioventricular (bicuspid) valve
Right Atrioventricular (tricuspid) valve
Aorta – many arteries branch from here
Aortic Semilunar Valve
Superior Vena Cava – Upper body deO2 blood into R. At.
Inferior Vena Cava – Lower body deO2 blood into R. At.
Pulmonary Semilunar Valve from right ventricle – goes into the single pulmonary artery, leads the
deO2 blood to the lungs.
Interventricular septum (the wall), or ventricular septum (the tissue), or during development septum inferius),
abbreviated IVS, is the stout wall separating the lower chambers (the ventricles) of the heart from one another.
The ventricular septum is directed obliquely backward and to the right, and is curved with the convexity toward the right
ventricle: its margins correspond with the anterior and posterior longitudinal sulci.
How to check your pulse, where and results:
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/pulse-measurement?page=3
Systolic – ventricles contract - 1st reading when taking blood pressure
Diastolic – ventricles relax – 2nd reading when taking blood pressure
Video how the heart pumps blood to the body:
http://www.sumanasinc.com/webcontent/animations/biology.html
How to measure blood pressure:
http://homepage.smc.edu/wissmann_paul/anatomy1/1bloodpressure.html
Blood pressure chart:
http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/medicine/blood-pressure.htm#bp-range-chart
Blood Pressure - The Average Value
The average blood pressure value for people is usually 120/80. However, young teens can often exhibit
lower values, such as 110/70. In calculating your blood pressure, several factors must be considered, such as
your age, height and weight.
Teenagers need to look out for high blood pressure, which is anything over 140/90, as well as low blood
pressure, which is any reading below 90/60.
1. Systolic vs. Diastolic
Blood Pressure Range Chart
Units = millimeters of mercury
What causes high blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the measure of the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. The heart pumps blood
into the arteries (blood vessels), which carry the blood throughout the body. High blood pressure, also called
hypertension, is dangerous because it makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body and
contributes to hardening of the arteries, arteriosclerosis, and to the development of heart failure.
Smoking Being overweight or obese Lack of physical activity –
Too much salt in the diet – increases the pressure in the blood vessels through osmosis.
Too much alcohol consumption (more than 1 to 2 drinks per day) Stress Older age Genetics Family history of high blood pressure Chronic kidney disease Adrenal and thyroid disorders Coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease, affects about 14 million men and women in
the United States.
Arteriosclerosis / atherosclerosis
Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients from your heart to the rest of your body. Healthy
arteries are flexible and elastic. Over time, however, too much pressure in your arteries can make the walls
thick and stiff — sometimes restricting blood flow to your organs and tissues. This process is called
arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.
Atherosclerosis is a specific type of arteriosclerosis, but the terms are sometimes used interchangeably.
Atherosclerosis refers to the buildup of fats and cholesterol in and on your artery walls (plaques), which can
restrict blood flow.
These plaques can also burst, triggering a blood clot. Although atherosclerosis is often considered a heart
problem, it can affect arteries anywhere in your body. Atherosclerosis is a preventable and treatable
condition.
Disease develops when a combination of fatty material, calcium, and scar tissue (plaque) builds up in the
arteries that supply the heart with blood. Through these arteries, called the coronary arteries, the heart
muscle (myocardium) gets the oxygen and other nutrients it needs to pump blood. (ref. www.mayoclinic.com)
The plaque often narrows the artery so that the heart does not get enough blood.
This slowing of blood flow causes chest pain, or angina.
If plaque completely blocks blood flow, it may cause a heart attack (myocardial infarction) or a fatal rhythm
disturbance (sudden cardiac arrest).
A major cause of death and disability, coronary heart disease claims more lives in the United States than the
next 7 leading causes of death combined.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/282929.php#heart_disease
Causes of Low Blood Pressure
 Conditions that reduce the volume of blood flow
 Dehydration
 Weakened heart muscle
 Pericarditis – causes fluid to surround the heart and compress the heart restricting the ability of
the heart to fill and pump blood.
 A slow heart rate (bradycardia).
 A fast heart rate (tachycardia) – blood doesn’t have time to fill the ventricles and pump out
properly.
 Medications
 Postural (orthostatic) hypotension - is a sudden drop in blood pressure when an individual stands
up from a sitting, squatting, or supine (lying) position. When a person stands up, gravity causes
blood to settle in the veins in the legs so that less blood returns to the heart for pumping, and, as
a result, the blood pressure drops.
Read more: Normal Blood Pressure for a Teen Between Ages 13-15 Years | eHow.com
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5011568_pressure-teen-between-ages-years.html#ixzz1gMzag2NM
Page 85 – If all the arteries, capillaries, and veins in your body were hooked together end to end, they would
stretch out 100,000 km, 62,000 miles (that is around the earth almost 3 times at the equator).
Page 87 – with an increased demand for blood, eating, running, etc., the arteries leading to those organs open
wider, others get smaller – increase and decrease blood flow per demand.




Capillary walls are only one cell thick.
Diffusion exchange nutrients and waste products. Higher concentration to lower.
Pg. 88 - Skeletal muscles, one way valves, and breathing keeps deO2 blood moving back to the
heart.
Blood pressure – systolic and diastolic. Ventricle contracts and then relaxes.
Important Circulatory System Vocabulary:
Angina –
Angioplasty –
Arrhythmia –
Atherosclerosis –
Arteriosclerosis –
Arterial embolism or embolism – sudden interruption of blood flow to an organ or body part due to an
embolus adhering to the wall of an artery blocking the flow of blood. If blood flow is interrupted to the
brain a stroke will occur.
Atrial fibrillation (a-fib) – is the most common abnormal heart rhythm. It may cause no symptoms, but is
often associated with palpitations, fainting, chest pain, or congestive heart failure. The cause of an
individual's AF may not be identified.
Blood clot –
Bradycardia – slow heart beat.
Cardiac arrest –
Eurythmia –
Flatline –
Heart murmur –
Hemorrhage –
Hypertension –
Hypotension –
Ischemia – lack of blood flow.
Myocardium –
Pericarditis –
Postural (orthostatic) hypotension –
Pulmonary embolism –
Systolic –
Diastolic –
Myocardial infarction –
Stroke – see below for more info.
Tachycardia –
Thromboembolism –
Thrombosis – is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through
the circulatory system.
Ventricular fibrillation –
Important Circulatory System Vocabulary:
Angina –
Angioplasty –
Arrhythmia –
Atherosclerosis –
Arteriosclerosis –
Arterial embolism or embolism –
Atrial fibrillation (a-fib) –
Blood clot –
Bradycardia –
Cardiac arrest –
Eurythmia –
Flatline –
Heart murmur –
Hemorrhage –
Hypertension –
Hypotension –
Ischemia – lack of blood flow.
Myocardium –
Pericarditis –
Postural (orthostatic) hypotension –
Pulmonary embolism –
Systolic –
Diastolic –
Myocardial infarction –
Stroke – see below for more info.
Tachycardia –
Thromboembolism –
Thrombosis –
Ventricular fibrillation –
Stroke
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A stroke, sometimes referred to as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), cerebrovascular insult (CVI), or
colloquially brain attack is the loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This
disturbance is due to either ischemia (lack of blood flow) or hemorrhage (bleeding). As a result, the affected
area of the brain cannot function normally, which might result in an inability to move one or more limbs on
one side of the body, failure to understand or formulate speech, or a vision impairment of one side of the
visual field.
Ischemia is caused by either blockage of a blood vessel via thrombosis or arterial embolism, or by cerebral
hypoperfusion. Hemorrhagic stroke is caused by bleeding of blood vessels of the brain, either directly into the
brain parenchyma or into the subarachnoid space surrounding brain tissue.[4][5] Risk factors for stroke
include old age, high blood pressure, previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), diabetes, high
cholesterol, tobacco smoking and atrial fibrillation. High blood pressure is the most important modifiable risk
factor of stroke.
A stroke is a medical emergency and can cause permanent neurological damage or death. An ischemic stroke
is occasionally treated in a hospital with thrombolysis (also known as a "clot buster"), and some hemorrhagic
strokes benefit from neurosurgery. Treatment to recover any lost function is termed stroke rehabilitation,
ideally in a stroke unit and involving health professions such as speech and language therapy, physical therapy
and occupational therapy. Prevention of recurrence may involve the administration of antiplatelet drugs such
as aspirin, control of high blood pressure, and the use of statins. Some people may benefit from carotid
endarterectomy and the use of anticoagulants.
Stroke was the second most frequent cause of death worldwide in 2011, accounting for 6.2 million deaths
(~11% of the total). Approximately 17 million people had a stroke in 2010 and 33 million people have
previously had a stroke and were still alive. Overall two thirds of strokes occurred in those over 65 years old.
Section 3 – Blood and Lymph pgs. 91-97

Plasma – the liquid part of the blood that transports materials. Water makes up 90% of plasma.
The other 10 % is dissolved materials. Waste products are also carried away by plasma. 55% of our
blood is the plasma.

Red Blood Cells – take up O2 in the lungs and deliver it to the body. Red blood cells are produced
in the bone marrow. Their donut shape allows them to squeeze and fit through tiny capillaries.
The hemoglobin in red blood cells binds to O2 so cells can deliver O2 to the body.

Mature red blood cells do not have nuclei and live about 120 days. Every second 2 million red
blood cells in your body die. Bone marrow produces new red blood cells at the same rate.

Hemoglobin – an iron containing protein that chemically binds to O2 molecules.

White blood cells – produced in bone marrow and fight disease by recognizing it, producing
chemicals to fight the invaders or surround and kill the organisms.

White blood cells have nuclei and can live for months or years, are large compared to red blood
cells and total 1 to every 500 to 1,000 red blood cells. White blood cells recognize disease-causing
organisms and kills them.

Platelets – cell fragments that play an important part in forming blood clots. Platelets protect us,
they collect and stick to the blood vessel at the site of the wound.

Blood types – with blood transfusions, if the blood types do not match, the red blood cells will
clump together and will clog the capillaries which could lead to death.

Clumping is bad!!!


Blood types are determined by proteins known as marker molecules.

There are 4 blood types, A, B, AB, O and are classified by their marker molecules. Blood types are
determined by the marker molecules that are on the red blood cells. If you have blood type A, you
have the A marker. AB has both markers, O has no markers. Universal acceptor AB, universal
donor O. There is also an Rh factor positive or negative. Positive, you have the marker 85% of
people. Negative, you do not have the marker, 15% or people.

The marker molecules on your red blood cells determine your blood type and the type of blood
that you can safely receive in transfusions.

Anti B as an example is the clumping protein in blood type A

Blood type AB has no clumping proteins so this type is a universal receiver of blood types.

Blood type O has anti A and anti B clumping proteins so as the receiver it can only receive type O
blood. Type O is the universal donor.

Rh Factor – another protein on red blood cells. About 85% of the people have this protein. If you
are Rh +, you have the Rh marker. If you are Rh -, you lack the marker on your red blood cells. A
mismatch would result in clumping and is potentially dangerous.

Rh + can accept Rh+ or Rh-. Rh- can only accept Rh-
Reference this site for ABO Blood Types and the genetics.
http://anthro.palomar.edu/blood/ABO_system.htm
ABO 
An antibody (Ab), also known as an immunoglobulin (Ig), is a large Y-shaped protein produced by Bcells that is used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as bacteria
and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique part of the foreign target, called an antigen.

An antigen is a substance that evokes the production of one or more antibodies. Each antibody
binds to a specific antigen by way of an interaction similar to the fit between a lock and a key.
Testing Blood after Donations:
Source Wikipedia:
Donated blood is usually subjected to processing after it is collected, to make it suitable for use in specific
patient populations. Collected blood is then separated into blood components by centrifugation: red blood
cells, plasma, platelets, albumin protein, clotting factor concentrates, cryoprecipitate, fibrinogen concentrate,
and immunoglobulins (antibodies). Red cells, plasma and platelets can also be donated individually via a more
complex process called apheresis.
All donated blood is tested for infections. The current protocol tests donated blood for HIV-1, HIV-2, HTLV-1,
HTLV-2, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Syphilis (T pallidum), Chagas disease (T cruzi), and West Nile Virus. In addition,
platelet products are also tested for bacterial infections due to its higher inclination for contamination due to
storage at room temperature. Presence of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is also tested because of risk to certain
immunocompromised recipients if given, such as those with organ transplant or HIV. However, not all blood is
tested for CMV because only a certain amount of CMV-negative blood needs to be available to supply patient
needs. Other than positivity for CMV, any products tested positive for infections are not used.
All donated blood is also tested for ABO and Rh groups, along with the presence of any red blood cell
antibodies.
Leukoreduction is the removal of white blood cells by filtration. Leukoreduced blood products are less likely
to cause HLA alloimmunization (development of antibodies against specific blood types), febrile non-hemolytic
transfusion reaction, cytomegalovirus infection, and platelet-transfusion refractoriness.
Pathogen Reduction treatment that involves, for example, the addition of riboflavin with subsequent
exposure to UV light has been shown to be effective in inactivating pathogens (viruses, bacteria, parasites and
white blood cells) in blood products.[3][4][5] By inactivating white blood cells in donated blood products,
riboflavin and UV light treatment can also replace gamma-irradiation as a method to prevent graft-versus-host
disease (TA-GvHD).[6][7][8]
Compatibility testing
Main article: ABO blood group system
Main article: Rh blood group system
Before a recipient receives a transfusion, compatibility testing between donor and recipient blood must be
done. The first step before a transfusion is given is to Type and Screen the recipient's blood. Typing of
recipient's blood determines the ABO and Rh status. The sample is then Screened for any alloantibodies that
may react with donor blood.[9] It takes about 45 minutes to complete (depending on the method used). The
blood bank technologist also checks for special requirements of the patient (e.g. need for washed, irradiated
or CMV negative blood) and the history of the patient to see if they have a previously identified antibody.
A positive screen warrants an antibody panel/investigation to determine if it is clinically significant. An
antibody panel consists of commercially prepared group O red cell suspensions from donors that have been
phenotyped for commonly encountered and clinically significant alloantibodies. Donor cells may have
homozygous (e.g. K+k-), heterozygous (K+k+) expression or no expression of various antigens (K-k+). The
phenotypes of all the donor cells being tested are shown in a chart. The patient's serum is tested against the
various donor cells using an enhancement method, e.g. Gel or LISS. Based on the reactions of the patient's
serum against the donor cells, a pattern will emerge to confirm the presence of one or more antibodies. Not
all antibodies are clinically significant (i.e. cause transfusion reactions, HDN, etc.). Once the patient has
developed a clinically significant antibody it is vital that the patient receive antigen negative phenotyped red
blood cells to prevent future transfusion reactions. A direct antiglobulin test (Coombs test) is also performed
as part of the antibody investigation.[10]
If there is no antibody present, an immediate spin crossmatch or computer assisted crossmatch is performed
where the recipient serum and donor serum are incubated. In the immediate spin method, two drops of
patient serum are tested against a drop of 3-5% suspension of donor cells in a test tube and spun in a
serofuge. Agglutination or hemolysis (i.e., positive Coombs test) in the test tube is a positive reaction and the
unit should not be transfused.
If an antibody is suspected, potential donor units must first be screened for the corresponding antigen by
phenotyping them. Antigen negative units are then tested against the patient plasma using an
antiglobulin/indirect crossmatch technique at 37 degrees Celsius to enhance reactivity and make the test
easier to read.
In urgent cases where crossmatching cannot be completed, and the risk of dropping hemoglobin outweighs
the risk transfusing uncrossmatched blood, O-negative blood is used, followed by crossmatch as soon as
possible. O-negative is also used for children and women of childbearing age. It is preferable for the laboratory
to obtain a pre-transfusion sample in these cases so a type and screen can be performed to determine the
actual blood group of the patient and to check for alloantibodies.
Neonatal transfusion
To ensure the safety of blood transfusion to pediatric patients, hospitals are taking additional precaution to
avoid infection and prefer to use specially tested pediatric blood units that are guaranteed negative for
Cytomegalovirus. Most guidelines recommend the provision of CMV-negative blood components and not
simply leukoreduced components for newborns or low birthweight infants in whom the immune system is not
fully developed.[11] These specific requirements place additional restrictions on blood donors who can donate
for neonatal use. vnv Neonatal transfusions typically fall into one of two categories:
"Top-up" transfusions, to replace losses due to investigational losses and correction of anemia.
Exchange (or partial exchange) transfusions are done for removal of bilirubin, removal of antibodies and
replacement of red cells (e.g., for anemia secondary to thalassemias and other hemoglobinopathies).[12]
Important Circulatory System Vocabulary
Medical Condition
Angina –
Angioplasty –
Arrhythmia –
Atherosclerosis –
Arteriosclerosis –
Arterial embolism or embolism –
Atrial fibrillation (a-fib) –
Blood clot –
Bradycardia –
Cardiac arrest –
Eurythmia –
Flatline –
Heart murmur –
Hemorrhage –
Hypertension –
Symptoms
Causes
Solutions
Hypotension –
Ischemia – lack of blood flow.
Myocardium –
Pericarditis –
Postural (orthostatic) hypotension
Pulmonary embolism –
Systolic –
Diastolic –
Myocardial infarction –
Stroke –
Tachycardia –
Thromboembolism –
Thrombosis –
Ventricular fibrillation –
Circulatory System Terms – (info. obtained from Webmd.com)
1. Arrhythmia –
2. Heart murmur –
3. Hypertension (high blood pressure) –
4. Pulmonary embolism –
5. Heart attack (myocardial infarction) –
6. Stroke (transient ischemic attack – TIA) –