The Circulatory System

The circulatory system is a network within the body that consists of blood, blood
vessels, and the heart. It supplies tissues in the body with nutrients and oxygen, and
also transports hormones and removes waste products that the body doesn't need.
How does the Circulatory System Work?

The heart is an important part of this system because it pumps blood around your
body and keeps the circulatory system flowing. Blood is used to transport oxygen
around your body, which all of your body's cells need in order to survive.

The circulatory system transports oxygen around the body and it is also responsible
for delivering nutrients and water to every cell. It also carries away wastes like
carbon dioxide that the cells of your body produce.

Your heart never stops beating, and the average heart beats around 3 billion times
during a human lifetime. The heart is made of muscle and is connected to a
network of blood vessels.

What are the main parts of the circulatory system?

The four main parts of the circulatory system are the heart, arteries, veins,
capillaries and blood. Let's have a closer look at how they operate in the body.

● The heart is roughly the size of a large fist and is located near the
chest's centre.

● The arteries are blood vessels which transport oxygen-rich blood

away from the heart and towards tissues in the body.

● Veins are blood vessels that carry blood to the heart. This blood
comes from your tissues where it has been deoxygenated. Veins also
carry blood towards the lungs to give them oxygen.
 ● Capillaries are the smallest blood vessels in your circulatory system.
They complete the circulatory system by connecting arteries to veins.

● Blood carries almost everything within the body, transporting

hormones, nutrients, oxygen, antibodies to keep the body healthy.

What are the parts of the heart and their function?

The heart is made up of four different blood-filled areas, and each of these areas is
called a chamber.
 ● The two chambers on top are called the atria. The heart has a left atrium and
a right atrium.
● The two chambers on the bottom are called the ventricles. The heart has a
left ventricle and a right ventricle.

What are the atria?

Atria is the plural of atrium. The atria are the chambers that fill with the blood
returning to the heart from the body and lungs.

What are the ventricles?

The ventricles are the chambers that pump out the blood to the body and lungs.
What's the septum?

The septum is a thick wall of muscle and it separates the left side and the right side
of the heart.

What do the heart valves do?

These valves open up to let the blood move ahead, then they close quickly to keep
the blood from flowing backward. Think of walking through a door. The door shuts
behind you and keeps you from going backward.

What are the types of blood cells?

Red blood cells, (also called erythrocytes) contain hemoglobin, a protein that
carries oxygen. Blood gets its bright red color when hemoglobin picks up oxygen in
the lungs.

White blood cells, (also called leukocytes) are a key part of the immune system.
The immune system helps the body defend itself against infection.

Platelets, (also called thrombocytes) are cells that help in the clotting process.
When a blood vessel breaks, platelets gather in the area and help seal off the leak.

What's your blood type?

Everybody's blood is red, but it's not all the same. There are eight blood types,
described using the letters A, B, and 0. Those letters and number stand for
certain proteins found on the red blood cells. Not everyone has the same
proteins.

People have one of these eight different blood types:

1. A negative
2. A positive
3. B negative
4. B positive
5. 0 negative
6. 0 positive
7. AB negative
8. AB positive