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Circulatory System
Circulatory System
Circulatory system
Blood vessels form the transport system of the body, through which the
nutrients are conveyed to places where these are utiliized, and the metabolites
(waste products) are conveyed to appropriate places from where these are
expelled.
The conveying medium is a liquid tissue, the blood flows in tubular
channels called blood vessels. The circulation is maintained by the central
pumping organ called the heart,
COMPONENTS
1. Heart: It is a four-chambered muscular organ which pumps blood to various
parts of the body (Fig. 5.1). Each half of the heart has a receiving chamber called
atrium, and a pumping chamber called ventricle. It is the first organ of the body
which starts functioning.
2. Arteries: These are distributing channels which carry blood away from the
heart. Aorta is the largest artery (Fig. 5.1).
a. These branch like trees on their way to different parts of the body. These
contain oxygenated blood except pulmonary trunk and its two branches, the
pulmonary arteries, which carry deoxygenated blood. During foetal life the
umbilical arteries contain deoxygenated blood.
b. The large arteries are rich in elastic tissue, but as branching Progresses there is
an ever-increasing amount of muscle in their walls.
c. The minute branches which are just visible to naked eye are called arterioles
(Fig. 5.2). These give maximum peripheral resistance.
d, Angeion is a Greek word, meaning a vessel (blood vessel or lymph vessel). Its
word derivatives are angiology, angiography, haemangioma, and thromboangiitis
obliterans.
.
3 Veins: These are draining channels which carry deoxygenated blood
from different parts of the body back to the heart.
a. Like rivers, the veins are formed by tributaries.
b. The small veins (venules) join together to form larger veins (Fig. 5.2).
These in turn unite to form great veins called venae cavae. Inferior vena
cava is the largest vein. The four pulmonary veins carry oxygenated
blood. In foetal life the umbilical vein carries oxygenated blood.
4.Capillaries: These are networks of microscopic vessels which connect
arterioles with the venules (Fig. 5.2).
These come in intimate contact with the tissues for a free exchange of
nutrients and metabolites across their walls between the blood and the
tissue fluid.
The metabolites are partly drained by the capillaries and partly by
lymphatics.
Capillaries are replaced by sinusoids in certain organs, like liver and
spleen.
Functionally, the blood vessels can be classified into the following five
groups.
a. Distributing vessels, including arteries (Fig. 5.2)
b. Resistance vessels, including arterioles and precapillary sphincters
C. Exchange vessels, including capillaries, sinusoids, and postcapillary
venules
d. Reservoir (capacitance) vessels, including larger venules and veins
and
e. Shunts, including various types of anastomoses.
Types of Circulation of Blood
Total amount of blood in adult is 4.5-5 litr
Systemic (greater circulation: The blood flows from
the left ventricle, through various parts off the body,
to the right atrium, i.e. from the left to right side of
the heart.
Pulmonary circulation
The blood flows from the right ventricle, through
the lungs, to the left atrium, i.e. from the right to
the left side of the heart.
Table 5.1 shows the comparison between systemic
circulation
and pulmonary circulation.
Portal circulation:
• It is a part of systemic circulation,
which has the following
characteristics.
a. The blood passes through two sets
of capillaries before draining into a
systemic vein (Fig. 5.3).
b. The vein draining the first capillary
network is known as portal Vein which
branches like an artery to form the
second set of capillaries or sinusoids.
Examples: hepatic portal circulation,
hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal
circulation (Fig. 5.4) and renal
portal circulation (Fig. 5.3).
Table 5.1: Comparing the systemic circulation and pulmonary circulation
There is dead/empty space next to a large vein, in which the vein can dilate whenever there is increased venous
return.
Normal functioning valves are responsible for unidirectional flow of blood especially in lower limb.
End artery is an artery which does not anastomose with any other artery.
Hypertension or high blood pressure must be controlled, or it may lead to haemorrhage, or aneurysm of the arteries.