THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

Circulatory System – an organ system responsible in delivering oxygen and nutrients throughout the body and
collecting waste products produced by the cells.
PARTS OF THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
1. Blood- a liquid tissue responsible in transporting food and oxygen from the lungs and small intestine to the
different parts of the body.
- It also brings waste to the liver and the kidneys.
- In case the body is wounded, the blood clots to avoid excess blood loss.
- It also helps in regulating the body temperature.
Red corpuscles/red blood cells- responsible in carrying oxygen to the different parts of the body.
- The red color of this cell is produced by hemoglobin
 Hemoglobin- a kind of protein rich in Iron that carries O2 throughout the body.
- Transports CO2 from the different parts of the body back to the lungs to be exhaled.
Red Blood Cells- created in the bone marrow.
- Live for 120 days.
- Also called erythrocytes. “erythro”- means red
“ cytes” – means cells
White corpuscles/ white blood cells- help the body in fighting infection.
 Several kinds of WBC on what type of infection they are fighting such as bacteria, viruses or allergen.
a. Neutrophils- the most numerous of the WBC.
- it destroys disease-causing bacteria in the body.
- it surrounds the bacteria and digest it.
b. Eosinophils – involved in infections caused by parasitic worms.
- it releases toxins to destroy these parasitic worms.
- it is also involved in allergic reactions.
c. Basophils- help in the inflammation when a tissue is damaged.
- it contain histamine and heparin which are involved in allergies and blood clotting.
d. Monocytes or macrophages- the largest WBC that are involved in cleaning and digesting dead cells and debris.
e. Lymphocytes- respond to specific infections in the body.
- it produce antibodies to fight disease-causing microorganisms.
 Pus- composed of dead white cells that were killed by the poison of disease causing microorganisms.
 Platelet- smallest cells in the body.
- usually both seen in the blood slides because they break down right after the blood is shed.
- A substance that helps in the clotting of blood.
- It is also formed in the bone marrow.
 Plasma- a fluid substance of the blood.
-yellowish in color and contains many proteins needed by the body.
-acts a river where the red blood cells, white blood cells and platelet float.
2. Blood vessels- it carries the blood throughout the body.
- it serves as the highway where blood flows.
3 Types of Blood vessels
a. Artery- a blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart.
- it is elastic and tough to withstand the contraction of the heart muscle as it pumps blood out.
b. Capillary- as the blood flows from the arteries; these arteries branch out to smaller tubes known as capillaries.
- it is where the blood cells do their function.
- it is where the materials pass from the blood to the tissue or from the tissue to the blood through
diffusion in the walls of capillaries.
c. Vein- it is a blood vessel that return blood to the heart.
- not as thick as the artery because the pressure is not as great as that of the artery.
 Aorta- the largest artery that distributes blood to the different parts of the body.
2 largest veins in the body
a. superior vena cava
b. inferior vena cava
3. Heart- It is the major organ of the circulatory system.
- pumps blood and nutrients around the body in tubes called blood vessel.
-pumps 5 quartz of blood every minute
 -100,000 beat per day
-35 million beats per year

4 chambers of the heart

a. left atrium
b. right atrium
c. left ventricle
d. right ventricle
 Atria( atrium)- are chambers found on the upper side of the heart.
-the walls are thin
-they are responsible in collecting blood from the body.
-they force blood down to the lower chambers called ventricles.
 Ventricles- muscular and have thick walls because they force blood out of the heart.
 Left Ventricle- forces blood from the heart through the blood vessels to the different parts of the body except to
the lungs.
 Right Ventricle- forces blood out of the heart to the lungs.
- Have thinner walls than the left since it forces blood in a short distance.
 Blood- transport system of the body.
- Carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells in order to do their functions.
 Four valves of the heart
1. Tricuspid valve- works like a gate on a fens, opens only one way and only when push on.
2. Pulmonary valve-
3. Aortic valve-
4. Mitral valve-
Blood Pressure- a measurement of the force of blood against the walls of the arteries.
Systolic pressure- the first reading when we measure blood pressure.
- Measures the force that the blood exerts on the artery walls when the heart beats or contracts.
Diastolic Pressure- the second reading when we measure blood pressure.
- Measure the force that the blood exerts on the artery walls between heart beats or when the heart
is resting and refilling with blood.
Normal blood pressure: 110/70