Anatomy

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Contents

Introduction To the Cardiovascular System.........................................................................3

Structure and function of the heart....................................................................................4

Functions and Location of the Heart...............................................................................4

The Structure of The Heart..............................................................................................4

Chambers of The Heart....................................................................................................4

Blood Vessels...................................................................................................................5

Valves...............................................................................................................................6

Cardiovascular System.....................................................................................................6

Cardiac Function...............................................................................................................7

Heartbeat factors................................................................................................................8

The Electrocardiogram........................................................................................................9

Effects of aging on the heart in both men and women.....................................................9

References.........................................................................................................................10

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Introduction To the Cardiovascular System

The cardiovascular system can be considered as the transport system of the body. There are three
main parts of this system: the heart, the blood vessels, and the blood itself. The heart is the pump
of the system and the blood vessels are like transport channels. Blood is thought to be a fluid that
contains oxygen and nutrients needed by the body and carries waste to be removed. The
following information describes the structure and function of the heart and the cardiovascular
system as a whole.

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Structure and function of the heart

Functions and Location of the Heart

The heart pumps blood throughout the body. The heart is located between the two lungs. It is to
the left of the center of the chest.
The Structure of The Heart

The heart surrounds a medium-sized, roughly conical fist muscle. It is about 12cm long, 9cm at
the widest point and 6cm thick. Pericardium is a fiber covering that envelops the whole heart. It
keeps the heart in place but allows it to move as it beats. The wall of the heart itself is made up of
a special type of muscle called the Cardiac muscle.
Chambers of The Heart

The heart has two sides, right and left. There are four rooms in the heart. There are two left and
right compartments, one upper compartment and one lower compartment. The two upper
compartments (some of them: thresholds) are called the left and right thresholds. Portals receive
blood from a variety of sources. The left atrium receives blood from the lungs and the right
atrium receives blood from the other body. The lower compartments are the left and right
compartments. The chambers pump blood to different parts of the body. The right ventricle
carries blood to the lungs and the left ventricle carries blood to the other body. The walls of the
chambers are much thicker than the thresholds and allow them to work harder by pumping blood
throughout the body.

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Blood Vessels

Vessels carrying blood vessels. Blood vessels are blood vessels that carry blood back from the
body to the heart. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the body. Some
microscopes connect arteries and veins, called capillaries. Several large blood vessels are
connected to different chambers of the heart. The aorta is the largest artery in our body. The left
ventricle pumps blood into the aorta, which then carries it through smaller arteries to other parts
of the body. The pleura is the large artery into which the right ventricle pumps. It is divided into
pulmonary arteries which carry blood to the lungs. The pulmonary arteries carry blood from the
lungs to the left atrium. All other blood vessels in our body flow into the inferior vena cava

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(IVC) or the superior vena cava (SVC). These two large blood vessels carry blood from the rest
of the body to the right atrium.

Valves

Valves are tissues located between the ventricles and blood vessels. They are more like doors that
prevent blood from flowing in the wrong direction. They are found in many places. The valves
between the atria and ventricles are left and right atrial valves, also known as triceps and mitral
valves. The valves between the ventricles and the great arteries are called opaque valves. The
aortic valve is located at the base of the aorta and the pulmonary valve at the base of the
pulmonary vein. There are several valves in the blood vessels throughout the body. However,
there is no valve in any artery other than the aorta and pulmonary fluid.

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Cardiovascular System

The cardiovascular system refers to the heart, blood vessels, and blood. Blood contains oxygen
and other nutrients your body needs to survive. The body absorbs these essential nutrients from
the blood. At the same time, the body returns waste products such as carbon dioxide into the
bloodstream so that they can be removed. The primary function of the cardiovascular system is
to maintain blood flow to all parts of the body, to enable survival. Veins carry used blood from
the body to the heart. The blood in the veins is low in oxygen (because the body took it) and rich
in carbon dioxide (because the body reintroduced it into the blood). All blood vessels enter the
upper and lower veins and then flow into the right atrium. The right atrium pumps blood into the
right ventricle. The right ventricle then pumps blood into the pulmonary artery, through the
pulmonary arteries, and into the lungs. The blood absorbs the oxygen in the lungs we breathe and
we release the carbon dioxide we breathe in. Blood is rich in oxygen which the body can use.
From the lungs, blood goes into the left atrium and then pumps into the left ventricle. The left
ventricle pumps this oxygenated blood into the aorta and then distributes it to other parts of the
body through other arteries. The main branches of the aorta that carry blood to some parts of the
body are:
 Carotid Arteries, which take blood to the neck and head
 Coronary Arteries, which provide blood supply to the heart itself
 Hepatic Artery, which takes blood to the liver with branches going to the stomach
 Mesenteric Artery, which takes blood to the intestines
 Renal Arteries, which takes blood to the kidneys
 Femoral Arteries, which take blood to the legs

The body is then able to use the oxygen in the blood to carry out its normal functions. This blood
will again return back to the heart through the veins and the cycle continues.

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Cardiac Function

The cardiac cycle is a series of events that occur at a full heart rate. The pumping phase of the
cycle, also known as systole, occurs when the heart muscles contract. The filling phase, called
diastole, occurs when the heart muscle is relaxed. At the beginning of the cardiovascular cycle,
the atria and ventricles are tense. During this time, relax all the chambers of the heart and take
the blood. The water shutters are open. This phase is accompanied by atrial fibrillation. During
atrial fibrillation, the left and right atria contract simultaneously, forcing blood into the left and
right ventricles. The next step is the ventricular outlet. During arthritis, the left and right
ventricles move simultaneously and pump blood into the tail of the aorta and the lung. In the
ventricle of the systole, the atria are dilated and receive blood. The atrial water valves close as
the arterial plug begins to return blood to the atrium. However, the semifinal valves are opened at
this stage to allow blood to flow into the aorta and lung fluid. After this stage, the ventricles
relax, which is the ventricular ventricle. The dark valves are close together to prevent blood from
returning to the ventricles from the aorta and pulmonary duct. Thresholds and ventricles are
reassembled into the transverse knife and the cycle begins again.

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Heartbeat factors

The adult heart beats at ease about 70-80 times per minute. When you listen to your heart with a
stethoscope, you feel the beating of your heart. The sound is usually described as "lubb-dump".
The "lump," also known as the first heartbeat, is the closure of the atrial valve. The "hum" is
caused by the closing of the crescent valve when the ventricles are relaxed (at the beginning of
the ventricle in space). Murmurs are called abnormal heart sounds. Noise can indicate heart valve
problems, but a wide range of noise is not a problem.

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The Electrocardiogram

The heart has a rhythm of contraction and relaxation. A small group of heart muscle cells called
accelerators help achieve this. The controller creates an electrical impulse that passes through the
portal and executes the contracts. This stimulus is then diffused into the rooms, causing them to
contract. Electrical changes distributed throughout the heart can be detected on the surface of the
body with a device called an ECG. The electrodes are placed in different positions above the
chest and the electrical changes are recorded on moving graph paper as an ECG.

Effects of aging on the heart in both men and women

As part of the normal aging process, there are various changes in the cardiovascular system.
 Our heart rate slows down as the time between heartbeats increases with age. This is one
of the main reasons why the heart cannot pump more blood during exercise when we are
old.

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 The amount of blood consumed by the heart per minute can vary with age. It decreases
slightly in older women. However, this does not change between healthy and elderly men
who do not have heart disease. The reason for the gender difference is not fully
understood.
 As we get older, our blood pressure drops much better than when we sit down and when
we are younger. This phenomenon is called postural hypotension. This explains why
older people are more likely to feel dizzy or faint when they wake up quickly from a
resting place.

References

1. Beers, M. (editor-in-chief) “Aging and the Cardiovascular System” [online], The Merck
Manual of Geriatrics. Merck & Co. Inc. 2006. Available at URL:
http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmg/search.jsp (last accessed: 30/6/06)
2. Guyton, A and Hall, J. (editors) Textbook of medical physiology. Philadelphia, W. B.
Saunders, 2000.
3. Johnson, L. (editor) Essential medical physiology. Philadelphia, Lippincott-Raven, 1998.
4. Saladin, K. Anatomy & physiology: the unity of form and function. Boston, McGraw-
Hill, 2001.
5. Talley, N and O’Connor, S. Clinical examination: a guide to physical diagnosis. Sydney,
MacLennan & Petty, 2001.

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