Maria Iqbal
Unit 5
Matt Hopton
Unit 5
Anatomy & Physiology for Health & Social Care
Body Systems
In this task I am going to explain what the heart structure and the circulation system
is and I am also going to explain what each function does.
The Circulation System
The circulatory system is made up of vessels and the muscles this helps and also
controls the flow of the blood around the body. This process is known as a
circulation. The heart, arteries, capillaries and vein are the main parts of the system.
Capillaries
Capillaries are tiny blood vessels which pass blood from the arteries into the veins.
The capillary walls are thin this is so that it allows materials to pass into the
capillaries. There are different types of them that exist and perform different
functions for the body. They are also able to profuse the tissues of the body with
oxygen needed and also important nutrients that are supplied by blood.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-capillaries.htm 14/10/2010 14:12 pm
Red Blood Cells
Red blood cells carry oxygen, these cells travel in the blood and start their journey in
the lungs, where they pick up oxygen from the air you breathe. It is then travelled to
the heart, which pumps out the blood delivering oxygen to all body parts.
http://kidshealth.org/kid/word/r/word_red_blood_cells.html 14/10/201015:10pm
White Blood Cells
White blood cells this defenses the system in the body. These also fight infections
and protect our body from other particles; this is because it includes harmful germs
and bacteria. White blood cells and the red blood cells this is formed from the stem
Maria Iqbal
Unit 5
Matt Hopton
cell of the bone marrow. They also have a life-span of a couple of days, so when
they are destroyed by the other white blood cells and are then replaced with new
ones. http://library.thinkquest.org/C0115080/?c=wbc 14/10/2010 15:26pm
Blood
Blood is a fluid of life, it transports oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues and
carbon dioxide from body tissue to the lungs. The average blood that adults have
living inside their bodies are about five liters, the function of blood is that it delivers
essential elements, courses through the vessels and also removes harmful wastes.
So therefore without blood, the human body would stop functioning. The blood is
also the fluid of growth, this transport nourishment from digestion and hormones
from glands throughout the body. It is also the fluid for health this transport disease
from fighting substances to the tissue and the waste to the kidneys.
http://www.fi.edu/learn/heart/blood/blood.html 14/10/2010 17:09pm
Platelets
Platelets are tiny cells that are found in the blood. Their function is to help it to clot;
they are made in large numbers by the bone marrow which is the spongy material
inside the bones. The platelets develop in the bone marrow, it is then released in the
bloodstream where it circulates around the body. They usually survive for 7–10 days
before either being destroyed by the liver or spleen, or being used to clot the blood.
http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertreatment/Treatmenttypes/Su
pportivetherapies/Platelettransfusions.aspx 14/10/2010 14/10/2010 17:45pm
Arteries
An artery is an elastic blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart.
Pulmonary and systemic these are the two main arteries. The pulmonary artery
carries blood from the heart to the lungs where the blood picks up oxygen. The
oxygen rich blood is then returned to the heart through the pulmonary veins.
Systemic arteries deliver blood to the rest of the body. The aorta is the main
systemic artery and the largest artery of the body. It comes from the heart and
Maria Iqbal
Unit 5
Matt Hopton
branches out into smaller arteries which supply blood to the head area this is known
as brachiocephalic artery.
http://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/ss/artery.htm 14/10/2010 18:00pm
Heart
The heart is the organ that supplies blood and oxygen to all parts of the body. The
heart is located in the upper body which is the chest area between lungs. Blood is
pumped away from the heart through arteries and returns to the heart through veins.
The heart has four chambers, the upper two chambers of the heart is the right atrium
and left atrium, and the lower two chambers is the right ventricle and left ventricle.
The right hand side sends blood to the lungs, and the left hand side sends blood to
the rest of the body. The valves allow the blood to flow in one direction between the
chambers of heart. http://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/a/theheart.htm 14/10/2010
18:42pm
Veins
A vein is an elastic blood vessel that carries blood from a range of parts of the body
to the heart. Veins can be considered into four main types which are: pulmonary,
systemic, superficial, and deep veins. The pulmonary vein carries oxygenated blood
from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart, the systemic veins return deoxygenated
blood from the rest of the body to the right atrium of the heart, the superficial veins
are to be found close to the surface of the skin and are not located near a related
artery and also the deep veins are located deep within muscle tissue and are
typically located near a corresponding artery. The venules these are the smallest
veins in the body, they receive blood from the arteries passing through the arterioles
and also the capillaries.
Heart Structure
The heart is a muscular cone-shaped organ; it is about the same size of the same
person’s clenched fist. It is located in the upper body which is the chest area
between the lungs. The apex is pointed downwards, forwards and also pointing
towards the left. The hearts main purpose is to pump blood around t he body, it is
divided into left and right sections by the septum, the sections for the upper chamber
Maria Iqbal
Unit 5
Matt Hopton
is the left and right atrium and lower chamber is the left and right ventricles. The
deoxygenated blood from the body is pumped through the right atrium and the right
ventricle to the lungs. While the oxygenated blood from the lungs is pumped through
the left atrium and the left ventricle to the body deoxygenated blood enters the right
atrium from the superior vena cava. It is important that blood flows in the right
direction through the heart so the structure of the heart has a series of valves include
these are the tricuspid. Pulmonary, mitral and aortic valve.
http://www.ivy-rose.co.uk/HumanBody/Blood/Heart_Structure.php 15/10/2010
12:03pm
Aorta
The aorta is the largest artery in the body, it arises from the left ventricle of the heart
which then forms an arch and extends down to the abdomen, where it branches of
into two smaller arteries. The aorta also carries and distributes oxygen rich blood to
all arteries.
Pulmonary artery
The pulmonary artery carries blood away from the heart and carries deoxygenated
blood from the right ventricle to the lungs. It extends from the right ventricle and the
branches into the left and right pulmonary arteries, the left and right pulmonary
arteries also extend to the left and right lung.
Pulmonary vein
Pulmonary veins carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium. There are
four pulmonary veins which extend from the left atrium to the lungs, these are the
right superior, right inferior, left superior and also the left inferior.
Left atrium
The left atrium is located in the upper chamber of the heart. It receives oxygenated
blood from the lungs and pumps it down into the left ventricle which delivers it to the
body.
Maria Iqbal
Unit 5
Matt Hopton
Right Atrium
The right atrium is the upper chamber of the heart. It receives deoxygenated blood
from the body through the vena cava and is pumped into the right ventricle, it is then
sent to the lungs to be oxygenated.
Inferior vena cava
The inferior vena cava is a large vein that receives blood from the legs, the back and
the walls and contents of the abdomen and pelvis; it then delivers it to the right
atrium of the heart. .
Mitral Valve
The mitral valve controls the flow of blood between the two chamber son the left side
of the heart. This is the left atrium and the left ventricle. It allows blood to flow from
the left atrium to the left ventricle, but not back the other way.
Tricuspid valve
The tricuspid valve controls the opening between the right atrium and the right
ventricle. As the right atrium contracts, the tricuspid valve opens, it allows the blood
to eject into the right ventricle. When the atrium stops contracting, the tricuspid valve
closes, in that way it prevents a backwash of blood into the right atrium this is also
known as regurgitation.
Left Ventricle
The left ventricle is the lower chamber of the heart, which receives oxygenated blood
from the left atrium and pumps it to the aorta and through the body.
Right ventricle
The right ventricle is the lower chamber of the heart, which receives deoxygenated
blood from the right atrium and pumps it to the main pulmonary artery.
Maria Iqbal
Unit 5
Matt Hopton
Aortic Valve
The aortic valve is one of the four valves in the heart, it is located at the exit of the
left ventricle of the heart where the aorta begins. The aortic valve also lets blood
from the left ventricle be pumped up and ejected into the aorta but prevents blood
once it is in the aorta from returning to the heart.
Pulmonary Valve
The pulmonary valve is one of the four valves in the heart, it stands at the opening
from the right ventricle in the pulmonary artery trunk. It lets blood flow in the right
direction towards the lungs, it also keeps it from splattering back from the pulmonary
artery into the heart.
Maria Iqbal
Unit 5
Matt Hopton
References
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=5129
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-capillaries.htm
. http://kidshealth.org/kid/word/r/word_red_blood_cells.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0115080/?c=wbc
http://www.fi.edu/learn/heart/blood/blood.html
http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertreatment/Treatmentty
pes/Supportivetherapies/Platelettransfusions.aspx brachiocephalic artery.
http://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/ss/artery.htm
http://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/a/theheart.htm
http://www.ivy-rose.co.uk/HumanBody/Blood/Heart_Structure.php