V.

Anatomy and Physiology

Circulatory System

The circulatory system in humans is a network

of blood vessels through which the heart
pumps the blood and keeps the blood in
circulation. The circulation system provides
blood to each cell in the body.

 The circulatory system comprises of two sub

systems – cardiovascular system and the
lymphatic system. The cardiovascular system
consists of the heart, blood and the blood
vessels in the form of arteries and veins. The
lymphatic system consists of the lymph
vessels, lymphatic nodes and lymph.

There are two categories of blood vessels –

arteries and veins. The arteries carry the
oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest
of the body where it distributes the oxygen
and nutrients. The veins carry the
deoxygenated blood from the body organs
back to the heart. The heart pushes the
deoxygenated blood to the lungs, where the
blood exchanges the carbon dioxide with
fresh oxygen and is returned to the heart for
recirculation to the body organs. When the
blood reaches the intestines, it collects
nutrients for distribution and discards the
waste collected from the body cells to the
intestines. The blood carries the oxygen and
the nutrients to the tissues of the body where it exchanges them with carbon dioxide and waste from
the cells. Waste like toxins are released into the kidneys.

Another important role of blood is to carry the white blood platelets that have the capacity to fight
germs and contain diseases to the infection areas. Therefore, blood helps the immune system of the
body.

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  The Heart

The heart is a special involuntary muscle called the cardiac muscle. Involuntary muscles keep working on
their own without our intervention or effort. The heart is divided into two sides divided by the septum.
Each side has two chambers – a ventricle and an atrium. The left side of the heart is responsible for
pumping the oxygenated blood from the lungs to the rest of the body. The right side of the heart is
responsible for bringing the deoxygenated blood back to the lungs.

 The heart keeps beating rhythmically using an electrical signal from the sinoatrial node located at the
top of the heart. An electrocardiograph machine can record these electric impulses to study the
performance of the heart.

The heart is a very important part of the circulatory system. If a part of the blood is lost, one can survive
as the blood can get regenerated very quickly. However, any damage to the heart can be fatal. The heart
is made up of involuntary cardiac muscles that keep the heart beating without any manual intervention
as long as it remains healthy.

Blood Vessels

 The cardiovascular system part of the circulatory system is a closed network of blood vessels through
which the blood keeps circulating due to the action of the heart. The blood vessels that carry the
oxygenated blood away from the heart to the body organs are called the arteries. The blood vessels that
collect the deoxygenated blood and bring it back to the heart are called the veins.

 The blood vessels are thick near the heart and divide into smaller arteries and finally into capillaries that
are only one cell layer thick. Just to compare, the largest arteries called the aorta and the largest vein
called the vena cava are each about an inch in diameter!

 Lymph

When the blood carries the nutrition to the individual cells and collects waste, it forms the interstitial
fluid between the cells of a tissue to transfer the nutrients to the cells. The lymphatic system is a
network of one way vessels that collect the interstitial fluid called lymph into the lymph vessels which
push the lymph by rhythmic contractions through several lymph nodes on the way into the subclavian
veins where the lymph mixes back with the blood.

Blood

 The blood is composed of a fluid called plasma that contains red blood cells, white blood cells and
platelets. The plasma carries the proteins, hormones and minerals from one part of the body to the
other. The red blood cells contain hemoglobin which helps to transport oxygen from the lungs to the
rest of the body parts. The white blood cells help to fight infections and diseases. The blood platelets
help to clot after an injury thereby preventing an excess loss of blood.

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Blood performs many important functions within the body including:

 Supply of oxygen to tissues (bound to hemoglobin, which is carried in red cells)

 Supply of nutrients such as glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids (dissolved in the blood or
bound to plasma proteins)
 Removal of waste such as carbon dioxide, urea, and lactic acid
 Immunological functions, including circulation of white blood cells, and detection of foreign
material by antibodies
 Coagulation, which is one part of the body's self-repair mechanism
 Messenger functions, including the transport of hormones and the signaling of tissue
damage
 Regulation of body pH (the normal pH of blood is in the range of 7.35 - 7.45)
 Regulation of core body temperature
 Hydraulic functions

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