THE

CARDIOVASCULAR
STYSTEM
By

D.B GABRIEL
Cardiovascular system
· A closed system of the heart and blood vessels
· The heart pumps blood
· Blood vessels allow blood to circulate to all parts of the
body
· The function of the cardiovascular system is to
deliver oxygen and nutrients and to remove carbon
dioxide and other waste products
Cardiovascular circulation
• Two types
• Pulmonary circulation
• Systemic circulation
The Cardiovascular System: The
Heart
Anatomy

5
Heart Anatomy
• Approximately the
• size of your fist
• Location
• Superior surface of diaphragm
• Left of the midline
• Anterior to the vertebral column,
posterior to the sternum

6
Heart Anatomy

7
Coverings of the Heart: Anatomy
• Pericardium – a double-walled sac around the heart
composed of:
1. A superficial fibrous pericardium
2. A deep two-layer serous pericardium
a. The parietal layer lines the internal surface of the fibrous pericardium
b. The visceral layer or epicardium lines the surface of the heart
• They are separated by the fluid-filled pericardial cavity

8
Coverings of the Heart: Physiology
• The Function of the Pericardium:

• Protects and anchors the heart

• Prevents overfilling of the heart with blood
• Allows for the heart to work in a relatively friction-free environment

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 9

Pericardial Layers of the Heart

10
Heart Wall
• Epicardium – visceral layer of the serous pericardium
• Myocardium – cardiac muscle layer forming the bulk of the
heart
• Fibrous skeleton of the heart – crisscrossing, interlacing layer
of connective tissue
• Endocardium – endothelial layer of the inner myocardial
surface

11
External Heart: Major Vessels of the
Heart (Anterior View)
• Vessels returning blood to the heart include:
1. Superior and inferior venae cavae
2. Right and left pulmonary veins
• Vessels conveying blood away from the heart
include:
1. Pulmonary trunk, which splits into right and left
pulmonary arteries
2. Ascending aorta (three branches) –
a. Brachiocephalic
b. Left common carotid
c. Subclavian arteries
Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 12
External Heart: Vessels that
Supply/Drain the Heart (Anterior View)

• Arteries – right and left coronary (in atrioventricular groove),

marginal, circumflex, and anterior interventricular arteries
• Veins – small cardiac, anterior cardiac, and great cardiac veins

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 13

External Heart: Anterior View

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System

Figure 18.4b 14
External Heart: Major Vessels of the
Heart (Posterior View)
• Vessels returning blood to the heart include:
1. Right and left pulmonary veins
2. Superior and inferior venae cavae
• Vessels conveying blood away from the
heart include:
1. Aorta
2. Right and left pulmonary arteries

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 15

External Heart: Vessels that
Supply/Drain the Heart (Posterior View)
• Arteries – right coronary artery (in atrioventricular groove)
and the posterior interventricular artery (in interventricular
groove)
• Veins – great cardiac vein, posterior vein to left ventricle,
coronary sinus, and middle cardiac vein

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 16

External Heart: Posterior View

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 17

Figure 18.4d
Gross Anatomy of Heart: Frontal Section

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System

Figure 18.4e 18
Atria of the Heart
• Atria are the receiving chambers of the heart
• Each atrium has a protruding auricle
• Pectinate muscles mark atrial walls
• Blood enters right atria from superior and inferior venae cavae
and coronary sinus
• Blood enters left atria from pulmonary veins

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 19

Ventricles of the Heart
• Ventricles are the discharging chambers of the heart
• Papillary muscles and trabeculae carneae
muscles mark ventricular walls
• Right ventricle pumps blood into the pulmonary
trunk
• Left ventricle pumps blood into the aorta

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 20

Myocardial Thickness and Function

Thickness of myocardium varies according to the function of the

chamber
Atria are thin walled, deliver blood to adjacent ventricles
Ventricle walls are much thicker and stronger
• right ventricle supplies blood to the lungs (little flow
resistance)
• left ventricle wall is the thickest to supply systemic circulation

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 21

Thickness of Cardiac Walls

Myocardium of left ventricle is much thicker than the right.

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 22

Embryology of the heart
• The heart is the first functioning organ to develop.
• The heart is the first functioning organ to develop
• This allows oxygen and nutrients to be distributed to the
foetus
• Also elimination of waste from the foetus.
Embryology continued
· A simple “tube heart” develops in the embryo and pumps by the
fourth week
· The heart becomes a four-chambered organ by the end of
seven weeks
· Few structural changes occur after the seventh week
Atrial Septal Defect

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 25

Ventricular Septal Defect

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 26

Pulmonary
circulation:
Pathway of
Blood Through
the Heart and
Lungs

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System

Figure 18.5 27
Pathway of Blood Through the Heart and
Lungs
• Right atrium  tricuspid valve  right ventricle
• Right ventricle  pulmonary semilunar valve  pulmonary
arteries  lungs
• Lungs  pulmonary veins  left atrium
• Left atrium  bicuspid valve  left ventricle
• Left ventricle  aortic semilunar valve  aorta
• Aorta  systemic circulation

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 28

Coronary Circulation
• Coronary circulation is the functional blood supply to the
heart muscle itself
• Collateral routes ensure blood delivery to heart even if major
vessels are occluded

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 29

Coronary Circulation: Arterial Supply

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 30

Figure 18.7a
Coronary Circulation: Venous Supply

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 31

Figure 18.7b
Heart Valves
• Heart valves ensure unidirectional blood flow
through the heart
• Atrioventricular (AV) valves lie between the
atria and the ventricles
• AV valves prevent backflow into the atria when ventricles
contract
• Chordae tendineae anchor AV valves to papillary
muscles

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 32

Heart Valves
• Semilunar valves prevent backflow of blood into the ventricles
• Aortic semilunar valve lies between the left ventricle and the
aorta
• Pulmonary semilunar valve lies between the right ventricle
and pulmonary trunk

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 33

Heart Valves

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System

Figure 18.8a, b 34
Heart Valves

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System

Figure 18.8c, d 35
Atrioventricular Valve Function

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System

Figure 18.9 36
Semilunar Valve Function

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System

Figure 18.10 37
Mitral Valve Prolapse

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 38

Microscopic Anatomy of Heart Muscle
• Cardiac muscle is striated, short, fat, branched, and
interconnected
• The connective tissue endomysium acts as both
tendon and insertion
• Intercalated discs anchor cardiac cells together and
allow free passage of ions
• Heart muscle behaves as a functional syncytium

InterActive Physiology®:
PLAY
Cardiovascular System: Anatomy Review: The Heart
Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 39
Microscopic Anatomy of Heart Muscle

Chapter 18, Cardiovascular System 40

Figure 18.11
The Heart: Regulation of Heart Rate

· Stroke volume usually remains relatively

constant
· Starling’s law of the heart – the more that
the cardiac muscle is stretched, the
stronger the contraction
· Changing heart rate is the most
common way to change cardiac output

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 11.20
The Heart: Regulation of Heart Rate
· Increased heart rate
· Sympathetic nervous system
· Crisis
· Low blood pressure
· Hormones
· Epinephrine
· Thyroxine
· Exercise
· Decreased blood volume

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 11.21
The Heart: Regulation of Heart Rate

· Decreased heart rate

· Parasympathetic nervous system
· High blood pressure or blood volume
· Dereased venous return

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 11.22
Blood Vessels: The Vascular
System

· Taking blood to the tissues and back

· Arteries
· Arterioles
· Capillaries
· Venules
· Veins

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 11.23
Differences Between Blood Vessel
Types
· Walls of arteries are the thickest
· Lumens of veins are larger
· Skeletal muscle “milks” blood in veins
toward the heart
· Walls of capillaries are only one cell
layer thick to allow for exchanges
between blood and tissue

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 11.26
The Vascular System

Figure 11.8b

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 11.24
Blood Vessels: Anatomy
· Three layers (tunics)
· Tunic intima
· Endothelium
· Tunic media
· Smooth muscle
· Controlled by sympathetic nervous
system
· Tunic externa
· Mostly fibrous connective tissue

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 11.25
Movement of Blood Through
Vessels

· Most arterial blood is

pumped by the heart
· Veins use the milking
action of muscles to
help move blood

Figure 11.9

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 11.27
Capillary Beds

· Capillary beds
consist of two
types of vessels
· Vascular shunt –
directly connects an
arteriole to a venule

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Figure 11.10 Slide 11.28a
Capillary Beds

· True capillaries –
exchange vessels
· Oxygen and
nutrients cross to
cells
· Carbon dioxide
and metabolic
waste products
cross into blood

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Figure 11.10 Slide 11.28b
Diffusion at Capillary Beds

Figure 11.20

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 11.29
Major Arteries of Systemic Circulation

Figure 11.11

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 11.30
Major Veins of Systemic Circulation

Figure 11.12

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 11.31