37-1 The Circulatory System

Y our heartbeat is a sign of life itself. Even when you drift off
t? sle~p, your hear_t continues to beat ata steady rhythrn .
WhY1s th1s process so 1mportant that it must keep going even
-.llillliiia~---liiiili---
Guide Jor Reading
~ Key Conce pts
when you sleep? • What are the structures of the
Each breath ~ou take ?r~ngs air into your respiratory sys- ci rcul atory system?
tem. The oxygen m that air 1s needed by the trillions of cells in • Wh at are the three types of
your body. Your heart is essential in delivering that oxygen. Its blood vessels in the circulatory
system?
beating produces the force to move oxygen-rich blood through
the circulatory system. Interrelationships between the circula- Vocabulary
tory and respiratory systems supply cells throughout the body myoca rdium
with the nutrients and oxygen they need to stay alive. atrium
ven tricle
pu lmonary circulation
Functions of the Circulatory System systemic circulatio n
valve
0rganisrns composed of a small number of cells do not need a pacemaker
circulatory system. Most cells in such organisms are in direct aorta
artery
contact with the environment. Oxygen, nutrients, and waste capillary
products can easily diffuse back and forth across cell membranes. vein
Larger organisms, however, cannot rely on diffusion. Most of atherosclerosis
their cells are not in direct contact with the environment, and
Reading Strategy:
substances made in one part of the organism may be needed in Using Visua ls Before you
another part. In a way, this same problem is faced by the mil- read, preview Figure 37- 3.
lions of people living in a large city. Cities have transportation Make a list of questions about
systems that move people, goods, and waste material from the illustration . As you read,
write down the answers to the
one place to another. The transportation system of a city is its
questions.
streets, highways, and rail lines. The transportation system of
ª living organism is its circulatory system.
Humans and other vertebrates have closed circulatory
systems. This means that a circulating fluid called blood is
contained within a system of vessels. ~ The human
circulatory system consists of the heart, a series of
hlood vessels, and the blood that flows through th em.

◄ Figure 37-1 These roads for m

a transportation system . Using
Analogies How is the human
circulatory system like the streets
and highways of a Jorge city?

Circulato1:\' and Respirat01:\' Systems 943

 Word Origint;
-.aaa--=:::ama::m;¡¡;_....a
The Heart
Myocardiurn comes f rom two
Greek words: myo, meaning
"muscle," and kardia, meanin g
"heart." lf itis rneans an
"inflarnrnation," what does
myocarditis mean?
T Figure 37-2 The circulatory systern is divided into
two pathways. Pulrnonary circulation carries blood
between the heart and the lungs . Systernic circulation
carries blood between the heart and the rest of the
body. Diagrams in this textbook use red to show
oxygen-rich blood, and blue to show oxygen-poor
blood . Observing What kind of blood-oxygen-rich or
oxygen-poor-leaves the lungs and returns to the heart?
Capillaries of
head and arms
Superior
As you can feel with your hand , your heart is
1ocatcd ncar the center of your ches t . The heart,
which is composed almos t entirely of muscle, is a
hol\ow organ that is about the size of your
clenchcd fi st . The heart is enclosed in a protective
sac of tissue cal1cd the pericardium (pehr-ih-
KAH R-dec-um ). In the walls of the h eart, there are
two thin layers of epithclial and connective tissue
that form a sandwich around a thick layer of
muscle called the myocardium. The powerful
contractions of the myocardium pump blood
through the circulatory system .
The heart muscle contracts on average 72 times
a minute, pumping about 70 milliliters of blood
with each contraction. This means that during one
year, an average person's heart pumps more than
enough blood to fill an Olympic-sized swimming
pool. (An Olympic-sized swimming pool is about
2,000 ,000 liters: 0.07 liters X 4320 beats per hour
X 24 hours X 365 days = 2,649,024 hters. )
Dividing the right side of the heart from the
left side of the heart is the septum. The septum
prevents the mixing of oxygen-poor and oxygen-
rich blood. On each side of the septum are two
chambers. The upper chamber, which receives
the blood, is the atrium (plural: atria). The lower
chamber, which pumps blood out of the heart, is
the ventricle. The heart has four chambers-
two atria and two ventricles.

Circulation Through the Body The heart

functions as two separate pumps. Figure 37-2
shows the circulation of blood through the body.
The right side of the heart pumps blood froro the
heart to the lungs. This pathway is known a5
pulmonary circulation. In the lungs, carbon
dioxide leaves the blood and oxygen is absorbe~-
Capillaries The oxygJ'en-rich blood then t1ows into the left 51 dr
· . · bodr
of right lung of the h eart and is purnped to the rest of the ·
Thi~ pathway is called systemic circulation,_ ¡~
Inferior Blood that returns to the right side ofthe heart f.
uch ü
vena cava oxygen-poor because cells have absor bed m
th e oxygen and loaded the blood with carbon .
. ·d e. At th1s
d1ox1 · pomt,
· 1t · re ady for ano tber tnP
· 1s
to the lungs .

Circulation Through the Heart Blood .

ft atflll,
Capillaries of enters the heart through the right and le · . _
. tract:,,
abdominal organs as shown m Figure 37-3. As the heart con · froJll
andlegs blood flow s into the ventricles and then out
the ventricles to either the body or the lungs.

944 Chapter 37
 f1GURE 37-3 SI.~UGTiURES OF THE HEART
~ The clrculotory sy5 lem consi~ts oí the heart., a series of blood vessels, and the blood.
Notice the vn lves ?etween th c atrra and venlricles and those bclwcen the ventri clc, and tlw
blood vessels leaving the heart. The valves prevent blood from fl owíng backward.

Aorta
Superior Vena Cava
Brings oxygen-rich
Large vein that brings oxygen-poor
blood from the left ventrícle
blood from the upper part of the body
to th e body
to the right atrium

Pulmonary Veins Pulmonary Arterles

Bring oxygen-rich blood Bring oxygen-poor blood
from each of the lungs to the right or left lung
to the left atrium

Left Atrlum

Pulmonary Valve Aortlc Valve

Prevents blood from Prevents blood from
flowing back into the flowíng back into the
right ventricle after it left ventricle after it
has entered the has ~ntered the aorta
pulmoñary artery

Mitral Valve
Prevents blood from
Tricuspid Valve flowing back into the
Prevents blood from left atrium after it has
flowing back into the entered the left ventricle
right atrium after it has
entered the right ventricle
Left Ventrlcle

Inferior Vena Cava

Vein that brings
oxygen-poor blood from
~ Septum
the lower part of the body
to the right atrium Right Ventricle

There are flaps of connective tissue called valves between the

atria and the ventricles. Blood moving from the atria holds the
valves open. When the ventricles contract, the valves close,
which prevents blood from flowing back into the atria.
At the exits from the right and left ventricles, there are
valves that prevent blood that flows out of the heart from
flowing back in. This system ofvalves keeps blood moving
through the heart in one direction, like traffic on a one-way
street. The one-way flow increases the pumping efficiency of
the heart. The valves are so important to heart function that
surgeons often attempt to repair or replace a damaged valve.

~ HECKPOINT} What is the function of the heart va/ves?

Circulatory oncl Respiro.tory Sy stem s 945


Sinoatrial
(SA) node
Conducting
fibers
Atrioventricular
(AV) node
A Figure 37-4 The signal to contract spreads
from the sinoatrial node to the cardiac muscle cells
of the atria, causing the atria to contract. The
impulse is picked up by the atrioventricular node,
which transmits the impulse to muscle fibers in the
ventricles, causing the ventricles to contract.
Predicting In times of stress, does the heart beat
faster or slower?
Heartbeat There are two networks of muscle
fibers in the heart, one in the atria and one in the
ventricles . When a single fiber in either network
is stimulated, all the fibers are stimulated and
the network contracts as a unit. Each contraction
begins in a small group of cardiac muscle cells-
the sinoatrial node-located in the right atrium .
Because these cells "set the pace" for the heart as
a whole by starting the wave of muscle contrac-
tion through the heart, they are also called the
pacemaker.
As shown in Figure 37-4, the impulse s preads
from the pacemaker (SA node ) to the network of
fibers in the atria. It is picked up by a bundle of
fibers called the atrioventricular node and car-
ried to the network of fibers in the ventricles.
When the network in the atria contracts, blood in
the atria flows into the ventricles. When the
muscles in the ventricles contract, blood flows out
of the heart. This two-step pattern of contraction
makes the heart" a more efficient pump.
Your heart can beat faster or more slowly,
depending on your body's need for oxygen-rich
blood. During vigorous exercise, your heart rate
may increase to about 200 beats per minute.
Although the heartbeat is not directly controlled by
the nervous system, the autonomic nervous system
<loes influence heart rate. N eurotransmitters
released by the sympathetic nervous system
increase heart rate. Those released by the para-
sympathetic nervous system decrease heart rate.
Blood Vessels
Blood leaving the left side of the heart is loaded
with oxygen from the lungs. When it leaves the left
ventricle, the blood passes into a la.rge blood vessel
known as the aorta. The aorta is the fi.rst of a
series ofblood vessels that carry the blood on its
round tri p through the body and back to the heart.
~ As hlood flows through the circulatory
system, it moves through three types of blood
vessels-arteries, capillaries, and veins.
Arteries Large vessels that carry blood from
the heart to the tissues of the body are called
arteries. Arteries are the superhighways of the
circulatory system. Except for the pulmonary
arteries, all arteries carry oxygen-rich blood.
Arteries have thick walls that help them with-
stand the powerful pressure produced when the
heart contracts and pushes blood into the arteries.

946 Chapter 37
 Artery Vein

Endothelium--(J.J.lal Capillary

Arteriole Venule

Connective
tissue
connective
tissue
muscle
Smooth
muscle - _.,....._,
Endothelium
Valve

A Figure 37-5 ~ In the

circulatory system, there are
Figure 37-5 shows that the walls. contain connective tissue, three types of blood vessels-
smooth muscle, and endothelium. The elastic connective tissue arteries, capillaries, and veins.
The walls of these vessels contain
allows an artery to expand under pressure. Contractions of the
connective tissue, smooth muscle,
smooth muscle regulate the diameter of an artery. and endothelium.
Capillaries The smallest of the blood vessels are the
capillaries. Capillaries are the side streets and alleys of the
circulatory system . The walls of capillaries are only one cell
thick, and most are so narrow that blood cells must
pass through them in single file . The real work of the
circulatory system-bringing nutrients and oxygen to
the tissues and absorbing carbon dioxide and other
waste products from them-is done in the capillaries. open ~ =---
Valve
Veins Once blood has passed through the capillary ,;...---4-_ closed
system, it must be returned to the heart. This is the job
of the veins. As with arteries, the walls ofveins con-
tain connective tissue and smooth muscle. Large veins,
such as those shown in the leg in Figure 37-6, contain
valves tha t keep blood moving toward the heart. Many
veins are located near and between skeletal muscles. Valves /
When you exercise, contracting these muscles helps force ..,___ _ closed
blood through the veins. Blood flow through the veins of
the arms and legs often occurs against the force of grav-
ity. Exercise h elps to k eep blood from accumulating in
the lim.bs and stretching the veins out of shape. If the
walls around the veins weak.en from lack of activity, the
va lves can weaken . This ca uses blood to pool in the
ve in::i. producing a condition known as varicose vein s.
✓<- llECIC.POINT What happens in the capillaries?

► Figure 37- 6 Contracti o n of skeletal mu scles helps

move blood in veins toward the heart. Drawing
Concl us lons Whot role do volves play in large veins?
 Blood Pressure
Like any pump, the heart produce~ pr essure . ~en the he_a rt
contracts, it produces a wave of :flmd pressure 1n the artenes. The
force of the blood on the art eries' walls is known as blood pres-
sure. Blood pressure decreases when the heart relaxes, but the
syst em still rem ains u n der pressure. It's a good thing, too.
Without that press ure, blood would stop flowing through the body.
Medical workers can measure blood pressure with a device
called a sphygmomanometer (sfig-moh-muh-NAHM-uh-tur). A
cuffis wrapped around the upper arm. Air is pumped into the cuff
until blood :flow through an artery is blocked. As the pressure is
released, the worker listens to the pulse with a stethoscope and
records two numbers from a pressure gauge. The first number is
the systolic pressure-the force felt in the arteries when the
ventricles contract. The second number is the diastolic pressure-
the force of the blood felt in the arteries when the ventricles relax.
A typical blood pressure reading for a healthy person is 120/80.
The body normally regulates blood pressure in two ways.
Sensory receptors at several places in the body detect the level
ofblood pressure, sending impulses to the medulla oblongata
region of the brain stem. When blood pressure is too high, the
autonomic nervous system releases neurotransmitters that
cause the smooth muscles in blood vessel walls to relax, lower-
ing blood pressure. When blood pressure is too low, neurotrans-
mitters are released that elevate blood pressure by causing
these smooth muscles to contract.

• - ... >

iology and History

Cardiovascular Advances
William Harvey correctly described the
role of the heart in the circulation of
b~ood more than three centuries ago.
Since then, advances in this area have
improved the lives of many people with
·l Charles R. Drew
Drew develops a
method to process
and preserve blood
heart disease. /
., \j _ __can be stored and
P_'ª_s_m_a_s_o_t_h_a_t
shipped.
-it-

. 1939
1900

1902 1924 1948

Alexis Carrel Willem Einthoven
Carrel paves the Dwight Harken
Einthoven wins a
way for organ Charles Bailey
Nobel Prize for his Harken and Bailey
transplantation invention of the
by developing independently perforrn
electrocardiograph operations to open _up
techniques for (EKG), a device used
rejoining severed to measure tiny closed heart valves ,ns later,
patients . Twelve year t
blood vessels . electric currents
produced by the
Harken replaces ~ _h~r
valve with an artificia
heart.
948 Chapter 37
 'fhe kidn cys, wbich remove water fr 'h bl
. bJ . , om e ood , nlfw belp
l.,

to regu_late ood pnJHt:iu re. IJ ormoneH produced by 'l1<• 11 ,, ·t. . 1

th k" <. d r unu
l, ,
other organs cause e id~eys to rernove more wutcr f'rom tlic
blood when blood pres~ urc JH high. ThiHaction red uc.: o:; blood
volume, thereby lowermg the blood prcss urc.

j fHECKPOINTJ What instrument measures blood pressure?

Diseases of the Circulatory System

Unfortunately, diseases of the circu]atory system are ali too
common. Cardiovascular diseases- especially heart disease and
stroke-are among the leading causes of death and disabilíty jn
the United States. High blood pressure anda condition known
as atherosclerosis (ath-ur-oh-skluh-ROH-sis) are two of the
main causes of cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerosis is a
condition in which fatty deposits called plaque build up on the
inner walls of the arteries.
High Blood Pressure Ifblood pressure is too high, medica!
problems may result. High blood pressure, or hypertension,
forces the heart to work harder, which may weaken or damage
the heart muscle and blood vessels. People with high blood
pressure are more likely to develop coronary heart disease and
to suffer from other diseases of the circulatory system.
Hypertension increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
.~ lVritin¡ Activity
Use the lnt
library to ,. d ernet ora
in out
the research more about
one of th c~nducted by
ese sc,ent'
Write a summa ists. Then,
contribut· ry of the
ions of th .
to the fie/d 0 f _e .scientist
medicine.
Wilson
Creatbatch
Greatbatch invents
the implantable Laman Gray
pacemaker. The Robert Oowling
mechanical device Gray and Dowling
emits electrical implant the first
Christiaan Barnard completely self-
signals that keep Barnard performs the first partially
contained artificial
the heart beating successful human heart transplant.
heart into a patient.
normally. The patient lives for 18 days.

1958 1967 2001

1977
Andreas Gruentzig
Gruentzig performs the first
angioplasty by inserting a
hollow tube containing a tiny
uninflated balloon into a
patient's coronary arter}'.. The
balloon is inflated, open,ng up
the blocked area and restoring
blood flow to the heart.
1982
William OeVries
DeVries leads a team of
doctors to implant the
Jarvik-7 artificial heart
in a patient, who lives
for 112 days.
Circulatory and Respira.tory Systems 949
 ces of Atherosd _rosis Atherosclerosis is
Consequen • h' h b ·
·Go'1nline . . d gerous in the coronary artenes, w 1c rmg
particu1ar1Y an .
. ents to the heart muscle 1tself. If one of these
~ CÍ INKS oxygen an d nu trl .
for: links on the arteries becomes blocked, part of the heart muscl~ may begm to
cardiovascular system die from a lack of oxygen. lf enough heart muscle 1s damaged, a
Visit: www.Scilinks.org
Web Code: cbn-0371
condition known as a heart attack occurs.
The symptoms of a heart attack include nausea, shortness of
breath, and severe, crushing chest pain. People who show these
symptoms need immediate medical attention. New drugs are
available that can increase blood flow enough to save the heart,
but they must be given in the early stages of a heart attack to
save the heart muscle and prevent death.
Blood clots that can form as a result of atherosclerosis may
break free and get stuck in one of the blood vessels leading to a
part of the brain. This condition is known as a stroke. Brain
cells served by the particular blood vessel gradually die from a
lack of oxygen, and brain function in that region may be lost.
Depending on what part of the brain they affect, strokes may
cause paralysis, loss of the ability to speak, and death.
Circulatory System Health Like other diseases, cardio-
vascular diseases are easier to prevent than to cure. Sorne of the
ways of avoiding cardiovascular disease include getting regular
exercise, eating a balanced diet, and avoiding smoking. Exercise
makes your heart muscle stronger and more efficient. It also
helps control your weight, reduces body fat, and reduces stress.
A diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol can reduce your
risk of developing heart disease as well. High levels of fat and
cholesterol in the blood increase the likelihood that it will be
deposited onto the artery walls. This process begins in childhood
and worsens as you get older. For this reason, you should limit
your intake of foods with saturated fat. A low-fat diet will also help
control your weight. Being overweight enlarges the circulatory
system, causing the heart to pump harder to force blood through
it._ The cardiovascular system is also damaged by smoking. You
will learn more about the effects of smoking later in this chapter.

37-1 Section Assessment riting in Science

Cause and Effect
1 . ~ Key Concept List the Use library or Internet resources
4. What is the role of the nervous
structures of the circulatory to research the connectíon
system in heartbeat regulation?
system . between a high-fat díet and
S. Critical Thinking lnferring cardiovascular disease. Write ª
2. ~ Key Concept Compare lf you were standing, would you short commentary that could
the functions of the three expect the blood pressure to be be used on a television news
types of blood vessels in the higher in your arm or in your leg7 program that explaíns the
circulatory system . Explain your answer. · connection. Hint: Prepare a
3. Describe the path of blood cause-and-effect diagram to
circulation through the body. organize your ideas.

950 Chapter 3 7