RAN II

FUNCTIONS OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

SHEILLA JEROTICH

D/MIS/20001/078

Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Transport

Supplying oxygen to the body is the most essential function of the cardiovascular system. Although all
cells require oxygen, brain cells are the most sensitive and begin to die in as little as 3 minutes if
deprived of oxygen. During inhalation, air enters the lungs and oxygen is absorbed through the air sacs
into the bloodstream. This oxygen-rich blood is pumped through the heart into the arterial circulation.
In the capillaries, oxygen diffuses out of the blood and into the cells of the body's organs and tissues. At
the same time, carbon dioxide -- a waste product produced by cells -- is absorbed into the blood and
transported to the lungs through the venous circulation. When this oxygen-poor blood reaches the
lungs, carbon dioxide diffuses through the air sacs and is then exhaled. This cycle occurs with every
breath.

Nutrient and Waste Product Transport

Delivering nutrients to the body is another critical function of the cardiovascular system. After food is
digested in the stomach and intestines, its component nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream.
These nutrients include sugars, fats, vitamins, minerals and protein building blocks called amino acids.
Each of these nutrients is vital to healthy body function. For example, the sugar glucose is the body's
primary fuel to generate energy, and amino acids enable the body to manufacture new cells. Like
oxygen, nutrients diffuse from the bloodstream into body cells via the capillaries. In addition to carbon
dioxide, the circulatory system picks up metabolic waste products and toxins and transports them to the
liver, kidneys and lungs for eventual elimination from the body.

Disease Protection and Healing

The circulatory system serves as the highway for disease-fighting cells and proteins, and messengers of
the immune system. Immune system cells called white blood cells patrol the body in search of invading
germs. If an infection occurs, these cells send chemical alarm signals that travel through the
bloodstream, which subsequently transports infection-fighting cells to the site of the infection. The
circulatory system also carries chemical messengers that attract cells to heal tissues that have been
damaged due to injury or disease.

Hormone Delivery
Hormones are chemical messengers produced by endocrine glands that affect distant organs. The
cardiovascular system serves as the transportation connection between the endocrine glands and the
organs or tissues they control via hormones. For example, hormones produced in the pituitary gland in
the brain control other endocrine glands -- such as the thyroid, ovaries and testes -- as well as directing
childhood growth. Similarly, the blood-sugar-lowering hormone insulin produced in the pancreas affects
the uptake and use of blood sugar throughout the body. And thyroid hormones affect the metabolic rate
of virtually every body organ and tissue, thanks to their body-wide delivery via the circulatory system.

Body Temperature Regulation

Body temperature regulation is an often overlooked but important function of the cardiovascular
system. Optimal function of the human body occurs within a relatively narrow temperature range, which
is tightly regulated. If body temperature begins to rise, blood vessels close to the body surface dilate,
increasing in size. This allows the body to rid itself excess heat through the skin. Conversely, if body
temperature drops, surface blood vessels constrict to conserve body heat. The cardiovascular system
works in concert with the body's sweating mechanism as the primary regulators of body temperature