1.

1 MAMMALIAN CIRCULATION

1) Contraction of the right ventricle pumps bloods to the lungs via 2) the pulmonary
arteries. As the blood flows through 3) capillary beds in the left and right lungs. It
loads O2 and uploads CO2. Oxygen’s rich bloods return from the lungs via the
pulmonary veins to 4) the left atrium of the heart. Next, the oxygen – rich blood flows
into 5) the left ventricle, which pumps the oxygen – rich blood out to body tissues
through the systematic circuit. Blood leaves the left ventricle via 6) the aorta, which
conveys blood to arteries leading throughout the body. The first branches from the
aorta are the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle itself. The
branches lead to 7) capillary beds in the heads and arms ( forelimbs ). The aorta then
descends into the abdomen, supplying oxygen – rich blood to arteries leading to 8)
capillary beds in the abdominal organs and legs ( hind limbs ). Within the capillaries,
there is a net diffusion of O2 from the blood to the tissues and of CO2 produced by
cellular respiration into the blood. Capillaries rejoin, forming venules, which convey
blood to veins. Oxygen’s – poor blood from the head, neck, and forelimbs is
channelled into a large vein, 9) the superior vena cava. Another large vein, 10) the
inferior vena cava, drinks blood from the trunk and hind limbs. The two cavae empty
their blood into 11) the right atrium, from which the oxygen’s – poor blood flows into
the right ventricle.
1.1.1 The mammalian cardiovascular systems : an overview.
1.3 BLOOD PRESSURE AND GRAVITY

Blood pressure is generally measured for an artery in the arm at the same height as the
heart. For a healthy 20 years old human at rest, arterial blood pressure in the systematic
circuit is typically about 120 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg) at systole and 70mm Hg at
diastole, a combination designated 120/70 ( Arterial blood pressure in the pulmonary circuit
is six to ten times lower).

Gravity has a significant effect on blood pressure. When you are standing, for
example your head roughly 0.35 m higher than your chest, and the arterial blood pressure in
your brain is about 27 mm Hg less than that near your heart. If the blood pressure in your
brain is too low to provide adequate blood flow, you will likely faint.

Systolic pressure is pressure in your blood vessels is at its peak when your heart
contracts to squeeze blood into the arteries. This systolic pressure, measured when the
doctor or nurse first hears the sound of your heartbeat, reflects the work of your heart and
can vary a lot depending on what you are doing. In a healthy person, the systolic pressure is
normally between 120 and 140 millimetres of mercury, written as 120 or 140 mmHg.

The pressure in your blood vessels is at its lowest when your heart relaxes and fills
with blood called as Diastolic pressure. This is known as the diastolic blood pressure, which
the doctor or nurse records at the last sound of your heart beating. In a healthy person, the
diastolic pressure is around 80mmHg.

Normally, when the systolic pressure is raised, the diastolic pressure is too, and vice
versa. It used to be believed that raised diastolic pressure was more important than raised
systolic pressure, because it is a sign that the medium-sized or small arteries have become
stiff and narrowed. Research has now shown, however, that if you are over 40 a raised
systolic pressure, which indicates how hard your heart has to work, is also significant
especially in predicting whether you will develop heart disease.

Gravity is also consideration for blood flow in vein, especially those in the legs.
Although blood pressure in veins is relatively low, several mechanisms assist the return of
venous blood to the heart. First, rhythmic contractions of smooth muscles in the walls and
veins aid in the movement of the blood. Second, the more important, the skeletal muscles
during exercise squeeze blood through the veins toward heart ( figure 1.3.1 ). This is why
periodically walking up and down the aisle during a long airplane flight helps prevents
potentially dangerous. Third, the change in pressure within the thoracic ( chest ) cavity
during inhalation causes the vanae cavae and other large veins near the heart to expand
and fill with blood.

1.3.1 An example of blood measurement reading.

1.3.2 Blood flow in vein.

1.3.1 HOW BLOOD PRESSURE IS MAINTAINED

The maintenance of blood pressure within the arteries is a complex physiological process
that basically depends on three factors which, under nervous control, keep the pressure
relatively constant.

First, the beating of the heart is continually pumping blood into the aorta. The blood
flows along the large arteries and into the smaller vessels, where it replaces the blood
escaping through the capillaries into the veins. In this way the volume of blood in the arterial
system is maintained.

Secondly, the walls of the arteries contain muscle and elastic fibres. Each time that
the heart beats and discharges blood into the arterial system, these fibres’ stretch to
accommodate the influx of blood. When the heart relaxes, on the other hand, the fibres in
the walls of the vessels contract, and by so doing they not only reduce the capacity of the
circulatory system but also maintain the pressure.

Thirdly, and lastly, the minute arterial vessels, the arterioles, which lead from the
smallest arteries to the capillaries, have muscular walls. Contraction of these muscles
reduces the blood flow through the capillaries, and so controls the rate at which it escapes
from the arterial system, through the capillaries, and into the veins.
 References

Neil, A. C. & Jane, B. R. (2008). Biology with Mastering Biology. International

Version. Sansome Street: San Franscisco.