THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

 It also referred to as the circulatory system

 The circulatory system is made up of blood, blood vessels, pulmonary circulation, systematic
circulation and the heart
 It transport oxygen and nutrients to every cell
 It removes carbon dioxide and other waste products from every cell
 It carries hormones from the endocrine glands to different parts of the body
 It maintains temperature and fluid levels
 It prevents infection from invading germs

Pulmonary circulation – it carries deoxygenated blood from our heart through the pulmonary artery
to our lungs for purification/oxygenation and then oxygenated blood is transported back to the
heart through the pulmonary vein to be given pressure in the heart

Systemic circulation – it is when oxygenated blood from the heart is transported through arteries to
the rest of the body organs and then deoxygenated blood from body parts is transported back to the
heart through veins.

Components of the circulatory system

a) The heart

b) Blood

c) Blood vessels

The heart

 It is a muscular organ responsible for the pumping of blood to the whole body
 It is also referred to as the body’s engine
 It is made up of special cardiac muscles which contracts regularly, without tiring
 It pumps blood first to the lungs, to exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen

Three stages of heart action

a) Cardiac cycle – is one complete cycle of these three stages

b) Heartbeat – is one complete contraction of the heart

c) Heart rate (pulse) – is the number of heart beats per minute

Blood

 It is a red fluid that is pumped through the body by the heart and contains plasma, blood
cells and platelets

Components of blood

 Plasma

 Platelets (thrombocytes)

 Red blood cells (erythrocytes)

 White blood cells (leukocytes)

Plasma

 It is a watery liquid
 It is pale yellow in colour
 It contains dissolved substances: salts and calcium, nutrients including glucose, hormones,
carbon dioxide and other waste products from body cells

Platelets (thrombocytes)

 They are made in bone marrow

 They stick to each other easily
 They produce clots when a blood vessel is damaged
 They work with fibrinogen to make blood clot

Red blood cells (erythrocytes)

 They are made in the red marrow of long bones, sternum, ribs, vertebrae
 They are extremely numerous
 They give blood its colour
 They can contain haemoglobin, which carries oxygen from the lungs to all body cells
 They have no nucleus and last for about 120 days
 They are replaced in very large numbers

White blood cells (leukocytes)

 They are made in our bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen
 They are far fewer than red blood cells
 They are three times the size of red blood cells
 They are a mobile guard system to deal with infection and disease: some eat up germs, some
produce antibodies to destroy germs

Functions of blood

1. Transportation – carries nutrients, oxygen and hormones to body cells and carries carbon
dioxide, other waste from body cells and excess water from the kidneys
2. Protection – carries white blood cells to sites of infection, carries antibodies to destroy
germs and also carries platelets to damaged areas to form clots
3. Temperature regulation – carries heat away from working muscles and centre of body to
skin. It also maintains temperature within the body
4. Maintaining body’s equilibrium – reduces the effect of lactic acid produced in the working
muscle. It regulates fluid balance. It also enable hormones and enzymes to work

Blood vessels

 They are defined as networks of hallow tubes that transport blood

 There are three major blood vessels:
  arteries
 veins
 capillaries

Arteries

 They carry blood away from the heart to body parts

 They carry oxygenated blood except pulmonary artery
 The pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs for re-
oxygenation They branch into smaller tubes called arterioles
 They are muscular and elastic such that they must transport blood under a high pressure
from the pumping action of the heart

Veins

 They carry blood towards the heart from body parts

 They return deoxygenated blood to the heart except pulmonary vein
 They are thin walled and non- elastic because the blood is under low pressure
 They branch into smaller tubes called venules
 They have valves to stop blood flowing backwards

Capillaries

 They are the smallest blood vessels that connects arterioles and venules
 They help enable exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide as well as nutrients and waste
products that is: it allows food and oxygen to pass out to body tissues and allows carbon
dioxide and wastes to pass into the blood from body tissues