What makes up the Cardiovascular System

Your circulatory system, also known as your cardiovascular system, is made up of your heart
and blood vessels. It works to transport oxygen and other nutrients to all the organs and tissues in your
body. It also works to remove carbon dioxide and other waste products.

Your circulatory system is made up of several parts, including your:

 Heart. This muscular organ works to pump blood throughout your body via an intricate network
of blood vessels.

 Arteries. These thick-walled blood vessels carry oxygenated blood away from your heart.

 Veins. These blood vessels carry deoxygenated blood back toward your heart.

 Capillaries. These tiny blood vessels facilitate the exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and waste
between your circulatory system and your organs and tissues.

Blood vessels are able to widen or narrow depending on how much blood each part of your body
requires. This action is partly controlled by hormones. Your heart is roughly the size of a fist and sits
in the middle of your chest, slightly to the left. It’s the muscle at the center of your circulation
system, pumping blood around your body as your heart beats. This blood sends oxygen and
nutrients to all parts of your body, and carries away unwanted carbon dioxide and waste
products.
Structure of your heart

Our heart is made up of three layers of tissue.

 epicardium
 myocardium
 endocardium

These layers are surrounded by the pericardium, a thin outer lining protecting your heart.
There are four chambers that make up the heart – two on the left side and two on the right.
The two small upper chambers are the atria. The two larger lower chambers are the ventricles.
These left and right sides of the heart are separated by a wall of muscle called the septum. We
have four valves in our heart. They act like gates, keeping the blood moving in the right
direction:
 aortic valve - on the left side

 mitral valve - on the left side

 pulmonary valve - on the right side
 tricuspid valve - on the right side