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Cardiovascular System
Cardiovascular System
Cardiovascular System
o Cardiovascular system is a closed system of tubes which consists of heart
and blood vessels.
o William Harvey (1628) discovered the circulation of the blood.
Circulation
o Two circuits
The pulmonary circulation
The systemic circulation
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Types of Blood Vessels
(Angiology - study of blood and lymphatic vessels)
o Arteries
Large or Elastic or Conducting Arteries
Aorta, brachiocephalic trunk, left common carotid and left
subclavian artery and pulmonary arteries
Their walls contain elastic tissue
o Medium-Sized / Muscular / Distributing Arteries
Continuation of the elastic arteries
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o Capillaries (capillus = hair)
Communicating link between arterioles & venules
Act as a semi-permeable membrane (exchange)
½ - 1 mm long and 7 μ or more in diameter
Three different types –
Continuous capillaries - muscle
Fenestrated capillaries - kidney, endocrine gland and intestine.
Discontinuous capillaries (sinusoid) - liver, spleen.
The cornea, the epidermis and hyaline cartilage do not have
capillaries.
o Cavernous Tissue
It is the numerous blood-filled spaces
Lined with endothelium
Separated by fibrous septa containing smooth muscle
E.g. Erectile tissue
Corpora cavernosa and corpus spongiosum of the penis
Corpora cavernosa of the clitoris
Lining of the nasal cavity
Veins
o Venules
Small sized vessels
Collect blood from the capillary plexus
Join similar vessels to form vein
o Superficial veins
Run independently of arteries in subcutaneous tissue
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o Deep veins
Accompany the arteries and have the same name
Medium sized arteries usually below the elbow and knee are often
accompanied by two veins, one on each side (venae comitantes)
o Venous return to the heart
Mostly by way of vena cavae
Alternate pathways which do not accompany the arteries are
Azygos system
Vertebral system
Portal system
o Valves
Valves are present in many veins
Prevent the reverse flow of blood
Consist of one to three cusps
Superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, veins of the head and neck
(including the ophthalmic veins and the dural sinuses), vertebral,
cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic and pelvic veins and portal vein do not
have true valves
o Varicose Veins
Varicose veins are veins that have become enlarged and twisted
When veins become varicose, the cusps of the valves no longer meet
properly, and the valves do not work (valvular incompetence)
This allows blood to flow backwards and they enlarge even more
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Arterio-Venous Anastomosis or Shunt
o Arterioles communicate directly with venules (by-pass the capillaries)
Prevent loss of heat - In skin of the palm of the hand, skin of terminal
phalanges (fingertips) known as Glomus bodies, skin of the nose, lips
and eyelids, tip of the tongue and in the intestine
Anastomosis
o Arteries anastomose with each other
E.g.
Hand and foot (palmar and plantar arch)
Base of the brain (arterial circle)
Around the joints (around the elbow or knee)
o Provide
Collateral circulation if one artery is occluded
Equalization between two arteries
End Arteries
o Anatomical End Artery
Arteries that do not anastomose with neighbouring arteries
If artery is occluded it would cause serious nutritional disturbances
resulting in death (necrosis) of the tissue
E.g. Central retinal artery and its occlusion result in blindness.
o Functional End Artery
An artery anastomosing so poorly with neighbouring artery that an
adequate blood supply is not maintained after its occlusion
E.g. Arteries supplying segments of the brain, kidney, heart spleen and
intestine.
o Vasa vasorum
Blood vessels that supply nutrient to blood vessels
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ARTERY VEIN