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9.2 AND 9.2 C9.1 & 9.2 CIRCULATORY SYSTEM AND THE HEART

9.1 Circulatory systems

Circulatory system: The main transport system of all mammals, including humans, is the blood system
that circulates blood and oxygen throughout the body.

Blood vessels: network of tubes that transports the blood around the body.

Valves: found in the heart and blood vessels and they make sure the blood flows in the correct direction.

Oxygenating the blood

Oxygenated blood: The blood in the left-hand side of the heart which comes from the lungs and
contains oxygen.

De-oxygenated blood: This oxygenated blood is sent around the body. Some of the oxygen is taken up by
the body cells, which need oxygen for respiration the blood then becomes deoxygenated.

Double and single circulatory systems

Double circulatory system: The blood passes through the heart twice on one complete circuit of the
body, it is made up of two parts, known as the pulmonary system and the systemic system and it is found
in all mammals, and in birds and reptiles.

Single circulatory system: the blood passes through the heart only once on a complete circuit, it is
usually found in fishes.
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9.2 AND 9.2 C9.1 & 9.2 CIRCULATORY SYSTEM AND THE HEART

Double circulatory systems have some advantages over single circulatory systems. When blood flows
through the tiny blood vessels in a fish’s gills or a mammal’s lungs, it loses a lot of the pressure that was
given to it by the pumping of the heart. In a mammal, this low-pressure blood is delivered back to the
heart, which raises its pressure again before sending it off to the rest of the body. In a fish, the low-
pressure blood just continues around the fish’s body.

This means that blood travels much more slowly to a fish’s body organs, and that in mammals, blood
travels faster and much quicker delivery of oxygen for respiration.

9.2 The heart

The function of the heart is to pump blood around the body. It is made of a special type of muscle that
contracts and relaxes regularly, throughout life.

The heart is divided into four spaces, called chambers. The two upper chambers are called atria
(singular: atrium). The two lower chambers are ventricles, there is a wall present between both sides of
the heart called septum.

From the atria, the blood flows into the ventricles. The muscles in the walls of the ventricles contract.
This pumps the blood out of the heart. The muscle contracts strongly, producing a large force that
squeezes inwards on the blood inside the heart and pushes it out. The blood in the left ventricle is
pumped into the aorta. This is a big artery that takes the blood around the body. The right ventricle
pumps blood into the pulmonary artery, which takes it to the lungs.

Valves
Atrioventricular valves: The valves between the atria and the ventricles, They allow blood to flow from
the atria into the ventricles but prevent it from going in the opposite direction.

Semilunar valves (meaning: ‘half-moon’): The valves in the entrances to the aorta and the pulmonary
artery, These valves allow blood to flow from the ventricles into the arteries, but stop it going the other
way.

There are also the bicuspid valve (the mitral valve) and the tricuspid valve.

Differences in muscle wall thickness

The function of the ventricles is different from the function of the atria.

1. Function of atria: The atria simply receive blood, from either the lungs or the body, and supply it
to the ventricles.

2. Function of ventricle: The ventricles pump blood out of the heart and all around the body. To
help them do this, the ventricles have much thicker, more muscular walls than the atria.
The left ventricle has an especially thick wall of muscle to enable to pumps blood to the rest of
the body, The blood flowing to the lungs in the pulmonary artery has a much lower pressure
than the blood in the aorta.
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9.2 AND 9.2 C9.1 & 9.2 CIRCULATORY SYSTEM AND THE HEART

Coronary arteries
There are blood vessels on the outside of the heart. They are called the coronary arteries. These vessels
supply blood to the heart muscles, they supply the nutrients and oxygen that the muscle needs.

Question: why does the heart need the coronary arteries?

The heart muscle needs a constant supply of nutrients and oxygen, so that it can undergo aerobic
respiration. This releases energy that the muscle uses to contract, the muscle of the heart is so thick that
the nutrients and oxygen in the blood inside the heart would not be able to diffuse to all the muscle
quickly enough and therefore, The coronary arteries supply the nutrients and oxygen that the muscle
needs.

Coronary arteries can get blocked. In some people, cholesterol deposits build up inside the walls of
coronary arteries, These deposits make the artery wall stiffer and the lumen narrower, so it is more
difficult for blood to flow through. Blood clots can form. If the coronary artery is blocked, the cardiac
muscle does not get any oxygen. The muscle cells cannot respire aerobically, so they cannot obtain
energy to allow them to contract. The heart therefore stops beating

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Blockage of the coronary arteries is called coronary heart disease, or CHD for short.

Preventing CHD
CHD is the one of the commonest causes of death in many countries, No one can completely eliminate
the risk of developing CHD, but there is a lot that can be done to reduce this risk.

1. Avoid smoking cigarettes.

2. Taking care over your diet.
3. substitute animal fats with plant oils when you are cooking.
4. Regular exercise has a very beneficial effect on many parts of the body,
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9.2 AND 9.2 C9.1 & 9.2 CIRCULATORY SYSTEM AND THE HEART

Question: why is it important to take care of your diet?

A diet that is high in saturated fats is linked with an increase in the concentration of cholesterol in a
person’s blood, and this in turn increases the risk of CHD.

Question: why is it important to avoid fast food?

Fast foods are often high in animal fat, so these should be eaten in moderation.

Question: why is exercise important?

Exercise helps to keep you fit, prevents excessive weight gain and decreases blood pressure. It also has a
‘feel-good’ effect, by helping to clear your mind of things that may be worrying you.

Heartbeat
Most people’s hearts beat about 60 to 75 times a minute when they are resting, A good way to measure
the rate of your heartbeat is to take your pulse rate.

Pulse: the expansion and relaxation of an artery, caused by the heart pushing blood through it, it is the
same as your heart rate.

You can find a pulse wherever there is an artery fairly near to the surface of the skin, there are three
ways to measure or to feel your pulse.

1. inside your wrist.

2. just to the side of the big tendons in your neck.
3. There are also phone apps and smart watches that can automatically record your pulse rate.
4. In a hospital, the activity of the heart can be recorded as an ECG.

Electrocardiograph (ECG): Little electrodes are stuck onto the person’s body, and the electrical activity in
the heart is recorded, usually found in hospitals.

(The points labelled P, Q, R, S and T represent different

stages in one heartbeat)
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9.2 AND 9.2 C9.1 & 9.2 CIRCULATORY SYSTEM AND THE HEART

How the heart beats

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