CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

 Also referred to as the cardiovascular Brachial Ante-cubital; most common

system site for BP measurement
 Consists of:
o Heart Femoral Groin area; arterial punctures
o Blood vessels of RT
o Blood Pulmonary Located in the lungs; the only
Functions: artery that does not carry
Deliver oxygen & nutrients oxygenated blood
Removes wastes products
Helps in the coagulation process
Regulates body temperature VEINS
Important in body defenses (WBC’s in the blood)  thinner walls than arteries
BLOOD VASCULAR SYSTEM (BLOOD VESSELS)  Carry oxygen-poor (deoxygenated) blood
BLOOD VESSELS (dark red in color), nutrients and wastes
Three types: from the capillaries back to the heart
 Arteries  Venules  small veins that connect
 Veins capillaries to large veins
 Capillaries  More numerous than arteries
HISTOLOGIC LAYERS OF ARTERIES AND VEINS  Generally superficial; more prominent
 Tunica externa / adventitia  Commonly Used Veins for Venipuncture
o Outer layer (connective tissue)  Veins of the ante-cubital fossa
 Tunica media o Median cubital vein – first choice
o Middle layer (smooth muscle + elastic o Cephalic vein – second choice
tissue) o Basilic vein – third choice
 Tunica Intima COMMON VEINS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH
o Innermost histologic layer (epithelial cells) VENIPUNCTURE
ARTERIES VEIN FUNCTION
 large; thick-walled vessels
 propel oxygen-rich (oxygenated) blood (bright Superior Carries deoxygenated blood
red in color) away from the heart to the vena cava from the upper part of the
capillaries body to the heart
 Arterioles  small; thin vessels that connect Inferior vena Carries deoxygenated blood
arteries to capillaries cava from the lower part of the
ARTERIES body to the heart
 generally located deep,
 has pressure (pulse) Great Principal vein of the leg;
saphenous longest vein in the body
MAJOR ARTERIES ASSOCIATED WITH HEALTH CARE
Pulmonary Only vein carrying oxygenated
blood
ARTERY FUNCTION
CAPILLARIES
Aorta Largest artery; distribute  smallest blood vessels
oxygenated blood through  Composed only of single layer of epithelial
the body cells
 Function:
Radial Thumb side; pulse rate o Exchange sites for gas exchange;
Carotid Side of the neck; emergency nutrients and wastes product turn-
pulse rate over

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 CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
Composed of a mixture of venous and arterial
blood (arterial blood is higher)
CIRCULATION OF BLOOD
Arteries carry blood away from the heart and veins
carry blood toward the heart. The capillaries are
exchange vessels located between the arterial and
venous systems.
THE HEART
Hollow muscular organ that has four chambers and
is surrounded by a thin, fluid- filled sac called
pericardium
Its size is about that of a person’s clenched fist
CHAMBERS OF THE HEART
Four in number
 two atria and
 two ventricles
ATRIA (sing. atrium)
 Receiving chambers of the heart
 The upper two chambers of the heart are
called the left atrium and the right atrium.
VENTRICLES
 Discharging/pumping chambers of the
heart
 The lower two chambers of the heart are
called the left ventricle and the right
ventricle.
Heart
CHAMBERS OF THE HEART
 Right Atrium - receives deoxygenated
blood from the body
 Right Ventricle - receives blood from the
right atrium and pumps it to the pulmonary
artery
 Left Atrium - receives oxygenated blood
from the lungs and pumps it into the left
ventricle
 Left Ventricle - receives blood from the left
atrium and pumps it into the aorta
RIGHT SIDE OF HEART
 Pulmonary Circuit
 The pump for the pulmonary circulation
 carries blood from heart to lungs
 blood is O2 poor, CO2 rich
o Function: to carry blood to the
lungs for gas exchange and then
return it to the heart.
LEFT SIDE OF HEART
 Systemic Circuit
 The pump for the systemic circulation
 carries blood from heart to body tissues
 blood is O2 rich, CO2 poor
o Function: supplies oxygen and
nutrient-rich blood to all body
organs.
HEART VALVES
 flap-like structures that ensure one-way flow of
blood
 four in number
o Two Atrioventricular valves
o Two Semilunar valves
ATRIOVENTRICULAR VALVES
 They are located between the atria and the
ventricles
 The mitral valve/bicuspid valve is located
between the left atrium and the left
ventricle.
o Function: Prevents the back flow of
blood as it is pumped from the left
atrium to the left ventricle.
 The tricuspid valve is located between the
right atrium and the right ventricle.
o Function: Prevents the back flow of
blood as it is pumped from the right
atrium to the right ventricle.
SEMILUNAR VALVES
 The semilunar valves are flaps of
endocardium and connective tissue
reinforced by fibers which prevent the
valves from turning inside out. They are
shaped like a half moon, hence the name
semilunar (semi-, -lunar). The semilunar
valves are located between the aorta and
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 CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
the left ventricle and between the
pulmonary artery and the right ventricle.
 The aortic semilunar valve is located
between the left ventricle and the aorta.
o Function: Prevents the back flow of
blood as it is pumped from the left
ventricle to the aorta.
 The pulmonary semilunar valve is located
between the right ventricle and the
pulmonary artery.
o Function: Prevents the back flow of
blood as it is pumped from the right
ventricle to the pulmonary artery
BLOOD FLOW
Cardiac Cycle
 the contraction phase (systole) and the
relaxation phase (diastole) of the cardiac
muscle that occurs in one heartbeat.
 the repetitive pumping process that begins
with the onset of cardiac muscle
contraction and ends with the beginning of
the next contraction.
STEPS IN CARDIAC CYCLE
 The SA node, located in the upper RA and is
the pacemaker of the heart, initiates the
heartbeat.
 The AV node, located in lower interatrial
septum, receives the electrical impulse and
both the right and left atria contract forcing
blood into the ventricles.
 The impulse passes to the AV bundle and
separates into right and left bundle
branches.
 The impulse travels into the Purkinje fibers
covering the ventricles, causing them to
contract, forcing blood into the aorta and
pulmonary artery.
 The cycle starts again.
ELECTROCARDIOGRAM (ECG)
 record of electrical events within the heart
 can be used to detect abnormal heart rates
or rhythms, abnormal conduction
pathways, hypertrophy or atrophy of the
heart, and the approximate location of
damaged cardiac muscle
 uses electrodes that are placed on the body
surface and attached to a recording device
can detect the small electrical changes
resulting from the action potentials in all of
the cardiac muscle cells.
 normal ECG contains P wave (atrial
depolarization), a QRS complex (ventricular
depolarization), and a T wave (ventricular
repolarization).
BLOOD PRESSURE
 The pressure exerted by the blood on the
walls of blood vessels during contraction
and relaxation of the ventricles.
 SYSTOLIC PRESSURE- pressure in the
arteries at the peak of ventricular
contraction.
 DIASTOLIC PRESSURE- pressure indicated
when the ventricles are relaxing.
 AVERAGE BP- 120/80 mmHg
BLOOD PRESSURE EQUIPMENT
 Sphygmomanometer
o Blood pressure cuff
o Meter
o Rubber bulb
 Stethoscope
o Amplifies sounds
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