The Cardiovascular System

What are the components of cardiovascular system?

The system including the heart, blood, and blood vessels that is involved in circulating blood
through the body.
What is pericardium?
Fibrous sac surround the heart
What re the Layers of the heart wall?
1. Epicardium: thin layer of epithelial and connective tissues.
2. Myocardium: thick layer of cardiac muscle.
3. Endocardium: thin layer of endothelial tissue
What are the Chamber of the heart?
1. Two atria: upper chambers.
2. Two ventricles: lower chambers.
Septum: muscular wall separating right and left sides of the heart.
What are the valves (prevent blood backflow) in the heart?
1. Atrioventricular (AV) valves: Tricuspid valve (right side), Bicuspid (mitral) valve (left side)
2. Semilunar valves: Pulmonary valve, Aortic valve
What are the components of the blood?
1. Plasma (makes up 55% of whole blood): Plasma is the liquid part of the blood.
2. Formed elements (make up 45% of whole blood)
What are the components of Plasma?
1. 90% water
2. 10% dissolved solutes: electrolytes, proteins, hormones, gases, nutrients and wastes.
What are the types of blood cells?
1. Red blood cells (RBCs), 2. White blood cells (WBCs), 3. Blood platelets.
What are the types of Plasma proteins?
1. Albumins: maintain osmotic balance with interstitial fluid.
2. Globulins: Alpha globulins, Beta globulins, Gamma globulins
3. Clotting proteins
What are the properties of Red Blood Cells (RBCs) (Erythrocytes)?
1. Make up almost half the blood volume (5 million/mm3)
2. Functions: transport oxygen and carbon dioxide. Packed with hemoglobin.
3. Origin: stem cells in the bone marrow, Life span: 120 days
What are the types of blood vessels?
1. Arteries, 2. Veins, 3. Capillaries
What are the layers of arteries wall?
1. Innermost layer: endothelium
2. Middle layer: smooth muscle
3. Outer layer: connective tissue
What is the function of the arteries?
Carry blood away from the heart.
What are the properties of veins?
1. Three layers, thin-walled
2. Larger lumen than arteries
3. High elasticity
4. Functions: Carry blood toward the heart
How Blood flow from heart?
Heart  Arteries  Arterioles  Capillaries  Venules  Veins  Heart
What are the Mechanisms assisting Return Blood to the Heart?
1. Contraction of skeletal muscles.
2. One-way valves permit only one-way blood flow.
3. Pressure changes associated with breathing push blood toward the heart.
What are the Structure of Capillarie?
1. Smallest blood vessels.
2. Thin-walled: one cell-layer thick.
3. Porous.
What is the Capillary beds?
Extensive networks of capillaries.
What is the function of Capillaries?
Selective exchange of substances with the interstitial fluid.
What are the steps of pulmonary circuit?
1. Deoxygenated blood from the body travels through the vena cava to the right atrium.
2. From the right atrium into the right ventricle.
3. From the right ventricle into the pulmonary trunk and the lungs.
4. Blood is oxygenated and CO2 is given up within pulmonary capillaries.
5. Oxygenated blood travels through the pulmonary veins into the left atrium.
4. From the left atrium into the left ventricle.
What is Coronary arteries?
Arteries that supply the heart muscle (myocardium) itself.
What are the steps of The Systemic Circuit?
1. Oxygenated blood travels from the left ventricle into the aorta.
2. Through branching arteries and arterioles from aorta to capillaries.
3. Within capillaries, nutrients and oxygen are delivered to tissue cells and wastes are
picked up.
4. From capillaries into venules and veins.
5. Through the vena cava into the right atrium.
What is the Cardiac Conduction System?
1. Sinoatrial (SA) node (Cardiac pacemaker): Mass of cardiac cells in upper right atrium
2. Atrioventricular (AV) node: Located between atria and ventricles, it relays impulses.
3. Atrioventricular (AV) bundle and Purkinje fibers: Located in septum and ventricles, carry
impulse to ventricles.
What is Blood Pressure?
The force that the blood exerts on the wall of the blood vessels.
What are the parts of blood pressure?
1. Systolic pressure: highest pressure, as blood is ejected during ventricular systole.
2. Diastolic pressure: lowest pressure, during ventricular diastole.
Normal values:
1. Systolic pressure <120 mmHg
2. Diastolic pressure <80 mmHg