SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF NURSING

UNILUS Student Number: DRN22216524

DRN22216188
DRN22113243
DRN22215202
DRN22215371
BSPH18111859
DRN22216277
DRN22216855
DRN22216100

Course Title: Anatomy and Physiology II

Course Lecturer: Mr M.MVULA

Level of Training/ Semester: 1st Year/ Semester Second

Date Submitted:
02 MAY. 2023

Type of Assessment: Group 1 Assignment

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 Introduction

The heart, arteries, veins, and blood are the four main parts of the circulatory system. The organ
that pumps blood throughout the body is the heart, which is about the size of a human fist. It is
composed of numerous tissue layers. The circulatory system is at its core in the heart. The right
and left atria, along with the right and left ventricles, make up the four chambers of the heart.
They make up the internal cavity of the heart as a whole. Blood is transported from the heart
through arteries. The venules, the tiniest veins, are where the blood exits the capillaries. The
veins enlarge more and more as the blood flows toward the heart. Almost everything in the body
is transported by blood. It transports nutrients, oxygen, and hormones.The blood has four main
components, which are plasma,red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Flow of blood through the heart

Large and muscular in nature, the heart constantly pumps oxygen-rich blood to the brain and
extremities while also pumping oxygen-poor blood from the brain and extremities to relieve the
lungs. Blood is pumped into the pulmonary arteries in the lungs from the right ventricle after
entering the right atrium from the body. After absorbing oxygen, the blood returns to the heart
through the pulmonary veins, passing through the left atrium, left ventricle, and aorta before
leaving the body through the tissues(Metkus, 2020)

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Explain the physiology of blood circulation.

Blood flow refers to the movement of blood through vessels from arteries to capillaries and into
veins. Pressure is a measure of the force that blood exerts on the vessel walls as it moves blood
through the vessels. Blood flows from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure.
Therefore, it flows in the direction of decreasing pressure, from the arteries to the capillaries to
the veins. The blood flow velocity varies inversely with the total cross-sectional area of the blood
vessel. In capillaries, blood flow is the slowest, giving it time to exchange gases, nutrients, and
metabolic wastes between blood and tissue cells. Substances pass through capillary walls by
diffusion, filtration, and osmosis  (Rogers, 2011).
Oxygen and carbon dioxide pass through the capillary wall by diffusion. The movement of fluid
through the capillary wall is determined by the combination of hydrostatic pressure and osmotic
pressure. The result of capillary microcirculation due to hydrostatic and osmotic pressure is that
substances leave the blood at one end of the capillary and return at the other end (Rogers, 2011)

Pulse refers to the wave of distension and elongation in an artery due to the contraction of the left
ventricle. The pulse can be felt by gently pressing a superficial artery against a bone. The term
blood pressure refers to the force or pressure that blood exerts on the walls of blood vessels.
Systolic blood pressure is caused by the contraction of the ventricles. Diastolic pressure occurs
during relaxation of the heart. Pulse pressure is the difference between systolic pressure and
diastolic pressure. Blood pressure was measured with a sphygmomanometer and recorded as
systolic pressure above diastolic blood pressure. Four main factors interact to affect blood
pressure: cardiac output (the amount of blood pumped out of the heart per minute), blood
volume, peripheral resistance, and viscosity. As these factors increase, so does blood pressure.
Blood pressure is maintained within normal limits by changes in cardiac output and peripheral
resistance. Baroreceptors, located in the walls of large arteries in the chest and neck, are
important for the short-term regulation of blood pressure (Waugh,A., & Grant A, 2014).

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The blood vessels of the body are divided into two vessels, the pulmonary circuit and the
systemic circuit. Circulation is affected by many factors, such as blood pressure, blood volume,
exercise, and mechanical or physical impedance. The systemic circulation provides functional
blood to all tissues of the body. It transports oxygen and nutrients to cells and captures carbon
dioxide and waste products. The systemic circulation carries oxygenated blood from the left
ventricle, through the arteries, to the capillaries in the body's tissues. From the tissue capillaries,
deoxygenated blood returns through a venous system to the right atrium of the heart. The
coronary artery is the only vessel branching from the ascending aorta. The brachial arteries, the
left common carotid artery, and the left subclavian artery originate from the aortic arch. Blood
supply to the brain is provided by the internal carotid artery and the vertebral artery. The
subclavian arteries supply blood to the upper extremities. The splanchnic, superior mesenteric,
renal, renal, gonadal, and inferior mesenteric arteries branch from the abdominal aorta to supply
blood. In addition, the pulmonary circulation carries oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle
to the lungs, where the blood receives a new blood supply. It then returns the oxygen-rich blood
back to the left atrium ( Waugh, A., & Grant A, 2005)

Conclusion

The heart beats to deliver blood to the body that is full of nutrients and oxygen. The circulatory
system is a system of vessels through which blood travels. Blood goes to the lungs to take in
oxygen when it returns to your heart. After that, the heart distributes the blood to the rest of the
body, and the cycle repeats (Metkus, 2020)

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References

1. Rogers, K. (2011). Blood: physiology and circulation. New York, Ny: Britannica
Educational Pub., In Association With Rosen Educational Services.
2. Grant , Allison , and Anne Waugh. Ross and Wilson: Anatomy and Physiology in Health and
Illness (9th Edition). Churchill Livingstone, 2005.
3. Waugh, Anne, and Allison Grant. Ross and Wilson: Anatomy and Physiology in Health and
Illness. (12th Edition). International Edition. 12th ed., Elsevier-Churchill Livingstone, 2014.