HUMAN ANATOMY

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM I

I. INTRODUCTION
II. BLOOD

I. INTRODUCTION
* Human body is amazingly complex - has trillions of specialized cells performing a
multitude of complex and different tasks
Cells are NOT independent - they depend on each other for nutrients, protection,
waste removal...
Most cells are located deep within tissues/organs- far from the body surface- thus
diffusion (nutrients/waste removal) is not an option
Transportation system needed 🡪 the circulatory system

* Approximately 60,000 miles of vessels in adult

Vessels = arteries & veins
Vessels contain blood
Transports O2, nutrients, carrier proteins, hormones & wastes
Transports diseases (viruses, bacteria, toxins)
White blood cells (WBC) = blood cells specialized for defense that travel
in blood

* Overall general function of this system is to maintain homeostasis (balance of body

processes)
Thus- it must work with respiratory, digestive, urinary, endocrine and
integumentary systems

* Functions of circulatory system

Transportation
1. Respiratory component
Red blood cells (RBC’s) - also called erythrocytes
Cellular elements of blood
Transports oxygen (O2) from lungs to tissues
Oxygen is attached to hemoglobin (pigment
protein) – which fills each RBC
Carbon-dioxide (CO2) is carried from tissues to lungs
Attaches to hemoglobin when O2 is released
2. Nutrition component
Carries digestion products from intestine thru liver to body cells
3. Excretory component
Metabolic wastes (end products of biochemical processes), excess
water and ions- within the plasma (fluid portion of blood)
Transported to kidneys where water & ions are filtered into urine
 4. Regulatory component
Carries hormones, immune cells and their products from organs to
target tissue
Protection
1. Clotting
Protects against blood loss when vessels are damaged
2. White blood cells (WBC’s) - also called leukocytes
Cellular portion of blood
Works to render body immune to invaders
Scavenges foreign (non-selft) particles via phagocytosis (cellular
eating)

* [2] major circulatory systems

1. Cardiovascular system
Components = heart, blood vessels, & blood
[3 ]main routes blood follows within body
1. Systemic
Arterial system = oxygenated blood - from heart 🡪 to body
Venous system = returns deoxy blood - from body 🡪 to heart

2. Pulmonary
Pulmonary arterial system = deoxy blood - from heart 🡪 lungs
Pulmonary venous system = oxy blood - from lungs 🡪 heart

3. Portal = specialized vascular pathway between 2 areas

DOES NOT return blood to heart
Ex. Hepatic portal system = runs from intestines to liver

Components of Cardiovascular System

Heart
[4] chambered double pump
Pump 1 = sends blood to LUNGS (pulmonary route)
Pump 2 = sends blood to BODY (systemic route)
Creates MASSIVE PRESSURE to push blood thru vessels to lungs
and body cells
Blood vessels
Network of tubes taking blood from heart to all living body cells
then back to heart
[2] major vessel types
1. Arteries
Carries blood AWAY from heart
Arteries become smaller as distance from heart
increases
 Large elastic arteries 🡪 transition into
muscular arteries 🡪 transition into
arterioles 🡪 transition into capillaries
Capillaries = smallest branches of arterial system
!! ALL nutrient/gas exchange between
blood and tissues occurs here
Gases , fluid , nutrients , wastes
!! Transition area
Blood moves from arterial to venous
system – by a connection
between capillaries &
venules
2. Veins
Carry blood TOWARD heart
Venules = smallest branches of veins
Smallest venules connect to capillaries

I. BLOOD
* Blood – is actually a specialized connective tissue !
* Blood volume = 8% body weight
Male = 6 liters
Female = 5 liters
!! Donated “unit” = 0.5 liter = 1/10 total volume
* Color
Arterial blood = bright red - much O2 bound to hemoglobin
Venous blood = darker red - much less O2 bound to hemoglobin

* Functions
Transport nutrients, wastes, hormones…
Immunity
Clotting
Thermoregulation

* Components
Cellular elements
1. Erythrocytes (RBC)
Red blood cells primary function is to transport O2 & CO2
Males = 5-6million per ml
2. Leukocytes (WBC)
White blood cells are a group of immune cells focused on defense
3. Thrombocytes (Platelets)
Cell fragments (lack nucleus) whose function is repairing damage
to vessel walls
NOT a cell !!! (lack a nucleus)
 Formed elements = 45% of total volume
!! Hematocrit = measure of all cellular elements after
centrifugation
%RBC ; indicates O2 carrying capacity of blood

Acellular elements
Plasma = straw colored liquid component of blood
Function = transport soluble elements, maintain pH, carry water to
support/maintain body fluid balance
~90% water
Carries proteins, inorganic salts, carbohydrates, lipids, amino
acids, vitamins, hormones
Plasma proteins (~8% of plasma)
Albumin = helps maintain blood pressure by
attracting & holding water
Globulins = transport molecules (for vitamins &
lipids)
Ex. Gamma globulins = antibodies
Fibrinogen = protein working with platelets in
forming clots
!! Serum
When plasma clots - fibrinogen (a protein)
precipitates out as a fiber and is thus
removed from blood
Fluid remaining after clotting - is serum

* Erythrocytes
RBC = red blood cells
Shaped like a biconcave disc - flat with dented center (on both sides)
Shape maximizes surface area / volume ratio
Provides increased surface through which gas can diffuse (O2,
CO2)
Allows deformability – thus RBC’s can squeeze thru small spaces a
ball-shaped RBC could not
Mature RBC’s
NO nucleus or organelles
NO aerobic energy systems – thus they must use anaerobic pathways
Result = they are efficient O2 transporters

Lifespan is ~120 days

Ion pumping (anaerobic) mechanisms in membrane slowly fail
Result = cell becomes less deformable & becomes lodged in small spaces
in the spleen, liver, bone marrow
Removed by phagocytosis
 Carries hemoglobin (97% of cell contents)
Gives red color
Structure of Hb
4 Globin chains attached together (globin is a type of protein)
Each globin binds 1 heme molecule
Heme is a protein pigment molecule (red in color)
Each heme bound to 1 iron (Fe) atom
Each iron atom can attach to 1 atom of O2 or CO2

!! Result = each RBC can carry over 1 billion molecules of O2

!! Anemia = Reduced capacity to carry 02

To little iron intake or absorption , or excessive losses
!! Why F need to watch iron intake

* Leukocytes
WBC = white blood cells
Origin – in the bone marrow
WBC’s do HAVE intracellular organelles

Normally IN-active in circulation (dormant)

Become active when LEAVING blood - and moving into connective tissue
Ameboid movement - they crawl out of capillaries & into tissues by
extending parts of cytoplasm, then pulling themselves along
Diapedesis = process of squeezing out of capillaries into tissue
Chemotaxis = diapedesis is stimulated by molecules released from
damaged cells or foreign cells
Function = to protects body from bacteria, viruses, parasites
(5) Types of WBC
Based on staining of cytoplasmic granules
In order of decreasing abundance = “never let monkeys eat bananas”
Neutrophils
Lymphocytes
Monocytes
Eosinophils
Basophils

Granulocytes
MANY granules present in cytoplasm
All have irregularly shaped nuclei (2-6 lobes attached by thin strands)
Result – they are often called PMN’s = polymorphonuclear
leukocytes
1. Neutrophils
Distinguished by a nucleus with 2-5 lobes
 Distinguished by a neutral staining granules
Short life in tissue
Important role in early inflammatory response to injury
Phagocytic role
Destroy bacteria & remove dead cells
Chemotaxis = drawn to area by chemical signals
Granules are membrane bound sacs called lysosomes (bags of
enzymes)
Released when attacking bacteria and when they rupture
Result – enzymes liquefy adjacent tissue 🡪 becomes pus
Pus = dead neutrophils, fluid, digested tissues and
invading organisms
2. Eosinophils
Distinguished by a nucleus with 2 lobes
Distinguished by pink staining granules (eosin = pink)
Important role in fighting parasites
Large increase in blood during parasitic infections, allergic
rxns
Phagocytotic role
Consume Ag-Ab (antigen-antibody) complexes
Life cycle
Circulates 3-8 hrs
Diurnal variation = maximum abundance in blood
in the morning
Migrate to skin, lungs, GI trac
3. Basophils
Distinguished by a U-shaped nucleus
Distinguished by being small with cytoplasm FILLED with
granules
After moving into tissues, they transform into mast cells
Release histamine (a potent vasodilator)
Result = they direct early stages of inflammation

!! Release of vasoactive granules after exposure to allergen

Induces = rhinitis , anaphylaxis , asthma
May cause anaphylactoid rxn

* Agranular WBC’s
NO granules in cytoplasm
1. Lymphocytes
Nucleus takes up most of cytoplasm (look like dark dots under
microscope)
!!!! MOST important cells of immune system
 Each type of lymphocyte recognizes a specific foreign molecule
(antigen) either floating free or located on an invaders cell
surface
2 main types
B cells = produce antibodies
T cells = destroy foreign cells on contact
2. Monocytes
Distinguished by a having a kidney shaped nucleus
LARGEST cell in blood
Chemotaxis
Attracted by chemicals from dead tissue, microbes,
inflammation
After entering tissues, they transform into macrophages &
phagocytize foreign objects

* Thrombocytes = Platelets
Smallest cell-type element in blood
Pieces of larger cells present in bone marrow – called megakaryocytes
NO nucleus
Shows ameoboid movement
Life span = 5-9 days
Destroyed in liver and spleen

Function
Important role in blood clotting
Comprise most of clot
Clotting mechanism
Vessel lining is lost or damaged
Platelets stick to collagen fibers then release granules and serotonin
held in cytoplams
Granules contain thromboxane, calcium, ADP - which
stimulates more platelets to aggregate
Serotonin = a neurotransmitter & a vasoconstrictor - that
slows blood flow to area
Molecules released from platelets also initiate a cascade of
enzymatic events – resulting in proteins precipitating from
the blood – and forming a clot
Fibrin (a protein) sticks to platelets - to reinforce clot

!! Blood cell count = imp. for determining disease states

Leukocytosis = high # of WBC = local infection
Leukemia = many immature WBC’s in blood

How do you control bleeding ?

Lay person down on blanket, slightly elevate legs to prevent fainting
If possible, slightly elevate area of bleeding above trunk
Lower chance of shock -- cover with blanket

Remove debris from wound

DO NOT remove impaling objects such as knife, tree limb, dog snout, golf
club

Apply direct pressure to wound with sterile bandage, clean cloth or article
of clothing
Maintain pressure until bleeding stops
Dress wound with clean cloth- lightly bound

If bleeding continues - do NOT remove dressing

Place additional absorbent material on top - & continue pressure

If bleeding continues - compress pressure point

Ex. Wound to hand - compress brachial artery against humerus
Continue pressure on wound