The Circulatory System

Why do we need a circulatory system?

• A circulatory system is needed for large
organism like us in order to transport different
substances needed to our body cells and
remove those things which are harmful. For
example our body cells need glucose and
proteins from foods digested and they need
oxygen that we breathe in. Waste such as
carbon dioxide needs to be removed from the
body cells. The lymphatic system also helps to
transport substances in the body.
 Parts of Blood
• Blood is made up of platelets, red blood cells,
white blood cells and plasma. The red blood
cells are what give blood its colour.
• Which part of blood is represented in the
diagram below?
 Parts of Blood Cont…
Which part of the blood is represented in
Which part of the blood is the diagram below?
represented in the diagram below?
 Comparison of the components of blood
RED BLOOD CELLS WHITE BLOOD CELLS PLATELETS

Biconcave discs, no Some are disc- Irregular

SHAPE nucleus shaped and some fragments that
are irregularly are colourless
shaped
SIZE 8 micrometer 20 – 60 Approximately 1
micrometer micrometer
NUMBER 4 – 5 million 8 – 10,000 250, 000
WHERE Red bone marrow Bone marrow - Red blood cells
FORMED lymph
Has haemoglobin Defends the body Clot blood when
FUNCTION that gives it the red against disease we get a cut
colour. Transport
Oxygen & CO2
 Function of Blood Plasma
• Plasma is the liquid part of blood. It is
colourless and is 90% water and 10%
solutes. This part carries out the majority of
the transportation functions:
- Transport carbon dioxide, mainly as a
bicarbonate from body tissues to the lungs
- Transports waste eg. Urea from tissues to
excretory organs for eg. kidneys
- Transport hormones from ductless glands to
effector organs
- Transport nutrients from intestine to liver and
then to tissues
- Transport heat to all the different body parts
- Supplies tissue fluid (including water) to
tissues.
 Formation of a Blood Clot
• When you get a cut the platelets and the
damaged blood vessels release thromboplastin.
Thromboplastin then acts on prothrombin
turning it into thrombin. Calcium salts are
important are important at this stage of the
process to activate prothrombin. Thrombin
then acts on fibrinogen turning it into fibrin.
The fibrin forms a mesh thus trapping the red
blood cells and platelets, which results in the
clotting of blood.
 BLOOD VESSELS
• There are three main • Can you identify which
types of blood vessels type of blood vessel is
- Arteries in diagrams below
- Veins
- Capillaries
 Differences Between Arteries Veins and
Capillaries
Characteristics Arteries Veins Capillaries
Thickness of Thick elastic Thinner walls Very thin walls,
wall walls 1 cell thick
Presence of Valves absent Valves present Valves absent
valves
Pressure of Blood flows in Blood flows Blood flows
blood spurts under smoothly under slow under low
high pressure low pressure pressure
Presence of Carries Carries Oxygen and
oxygen oxygenated deoxygenated carbon dioxide
blood blood exchanged
between cells
and capillaries
Direction of Carry blood Carry blood Carry blood from
blood flow from the heart from the the arterioles
to the body body to the (arteries) to
heart venules (veins).
Substances are
exchanged as
they pass through
the walls to the
cells and from
cells into the
capillaries as the
blood travels to
the venules
 The Circulatory System
• There are two types of circulation of blood
that occurs in the body: systemic circulation
and pulmonary circulation
• Pulmonary circulation:- This involves the
passage of blood from the heart to the lungs
and back to the heart.
• Systemic Circulation:- This involves the
passage of blood around the rest of the body
and then back to the heart.
• All the arteries except the pulmonary artery
carries oxygenated blood and All the veins
except the pulmonary vein carries
deoxygenated blood. The aorta leaves the
heart bringing oxygenated blood to all the body
parts. The diagram of the circulatory system of
the different branches of the aorta to supply
blood to all the organs. Blood leaves the
different organs through veins to the vena cava
to be returned to the right atrium of the heart.
 The Heart
• The heart acts as a pump to drive blood to
all parts of the body. The right side of the
heart pumps blood to the lungs and the
left side pumps blood to all other body
parts.
• The blood coming from the body lacks
oxygen because cells used up oxygen in
respiration. The blood coming from the
body flows into the right atrium
• When the blood gets to the lung it becomes
rich in oxygen, this is called oxygenated blood.
It is then sent to the left side of the heart
where it is sent to the rest of the body.
 The Cardiac Cycle
• When the heart
chambers are at rest
blood flows into it from
the vena cava (on the
right) and the Pulmonary
vein (on the left). This
stage of rest is diastole.

The cardiac cycle is the

complete sequence of
activities that occur in the
heart during one beat.
• When the muscles of
the atria contract,
blood is forced into
the ventricles. The
tricuspid valve (on the
right) and bicuspid
valve (on the left)
close to prevent the
back flow of blood.
This stage of the cycle
is called atrial systole
• When the muscles of
the ventricles contract,
blood is pushed out of
the heart. The blood is
prevented from
flowing back into the
ventricles by the semi-
lunar valves. This stage
of the cycle is called
ventricular systole
 Question
• How does the structure of the right chambers
of the heart relate to their functions
• Ronnie has a weak tricuspid valve and it
causes him to tire easily. What is the function
of the normal tricuspid valve? Suggest how a
weak tricuspid valve causes him to tire easily.
• Explain how the human heart acts as a double
pump.
 Heartbeat and Blood Pressure
• The heartbeat is controlled by a special tissue
called the pacemaker. Blood in the blood
vessels is under a lot of pressure. The blood
pressure is high in the arteries but gets lower
as it moves to the capillaries and then to the
veins. Normal systolic blood pressure
between 100 and 139 and diastolic pressure
between 60 and 89.
 Heart Attacks
• Coronary heart disease is caused by:
- malnutrition due to overeating fats
- high blood pressure
- nicotine in cigarette smoke
• Atherosclerosis – Fat builds up on the walls of the
arteries.
• Arteriosclerosis – Walls of the arteries loses its
elasticity and become hardened thus leading to
high blood pressure.
 The Lymphatic System
• Fluid flows constantly from the plasma to form
tissue fluid and then about 90% of it is
reabsorbed into the plasma, with the rest
draining into the lymphatic system.
• What is the difference between plasma, tissue
fluid and lymph?
 Differences Between Plasma Tissue Fluid and
Lymph
Plasma The fluid part of blood that passes out of the
blood capillaries to the surrounding cells
Tissue This is the medium by which different
Fluid substances exchange between the cells and the
blood. Oxygen and nutrients diffuse from the
blood to the tissue fluid and then to the cells.
Waste materials including carbon dioxide
diffuse from the cells to tissue fluid and then to
the blood or lymph.
Lymph This is formed from tissue fluid that is drained
away from the cells into the lymphatics.
Capillary Bed Showing Blood Supply
To a Tissue
 Function of the Lymphatic System
• Transport fluid back into the blood
• Transport fats from villi to blood
• Defends the body – microorganisms are
destroyed in lymph glands by the white blood
cells
• Removes excess fluid, protein and foreign
material from tissue spaces.