Chapter 6:

Cardiovascular System
Definition and function
• The CV system or circulatory
system, is a biological system
whose main function is the
transport of substances
throughout the body. This system
includes the heart, blood
vessels, and blood.
• There are three major functions .
– transporting blood, gases,
nutrients
– collecting waste materials
– maintaining body
temperature
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Schematic of Cardiovascular System
• Pulmonary circulation:
– delivers blood from heart to lungs & back to heart

• Peripheral circulation:
– delivers blood from heart to body & back to heart

• Arteries:
– large vessels that carry blood away from heart to
lungs or periphery

• Arterioles:
– small, branch arteries

• Capillaries:
– smallest vessels; site of gas & nutrient exchange

• Veins:
– vessels that carry blood toward heart

• Venules:
– small veins that carry blood toward heart

• Venous blood:
– blood returning to heart

• Arterial blood:
– blood leaving heart and going to body or lungs

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Pulmonary and
systemic circuits

The heart is a
pump connected
to two circuits:
systemic or
high pressure
circuit and
pulmonary or
low pressure
circuit.
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The Heart

• 4 Chambers
– 2 Atria: upper
chambers
– 2 Ventricles: lower
chambers
• 4 One-way valves
– 2 Atrioventricular:
tricuspid (R side),
bicuspid (L side)
– 2 Semilunar, where
blood leaves the
heart: pulmonary (R
side), aortic (L side) E s ta foto de A utor desconocido s e c oncede bajo licencia de C C BY-SA.

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Flow of Blood Through Heart
Blood enters right
atrium from superior
& inferior vena cava

Passes through AV
valve into right
ventricle

Is pumped through
valve into pulmonary
trunk

Passes through
pulmonary arteries to
lungs

Is oxygenated &
returned to left atrium
via pulmonary veins

Passes through AV
valve into left
ventricle

Is pumped through
valve into aorta & out
to body

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• Which chamber of the heart receives
oxygen-rich blood directly from the
pulmonary veins?
– right atrium
– right ventricle
– left atrium
– left ventricle

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https://youtu.be/qmpd82mpVO4?si=z_Hb-TV8W-z48Kjc

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Blood supply of the Heart

• Coronary
artery: arises from
the aorta and
supplies fully
oxygenated blood to
the heart.

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Blood
The composition of blood
allows two of the basic
functions of the CV system to
be performed:
• Deliver essential substances
(oxygen and nutrients) to
the tissue.
• Removes metabolic
byproducts (carbon dioxide,
lactate) from the tissue.
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• Plasma: Fluid component: 55% to
60% of total blood volume
• Formed elements: It makes up
40% to 45%
of blood. Hematocrit is
percentage of total blood volume
composed of formed elements
– Red blood cells or
erythrocytes: 99%. Contains
Hemoglobin which transports
O2.
– White blood cells (part of
immune system) & platelets
(involved in coagulation): 1%
Cardiac Muscle (Myocardium)
• Capable of contraction &
force generation, like skeletal
muscle
• Capable of initiating impulse
(autorhythmicity)
• Syncytial contraction: the
myocardial fibers are
interconnected by intercalated
discs that allow the free flow of
the action potential along the
muscle. This makes the entire
myocardium capable of
contracting simultaneously.
• Just one type of fiber that
use aerobic energy for
contraction: Cardiac fibers have
high mitochondrial density
and extensive capillary network

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Cardiac Cycle

• Systole: contraction
phase; blood is
pumped out of
chamber
• Diastole: relaxation
phase; blood fills
chamber
• Each cycle can be
feeld as a beat
(pulse), or heared
as a lub-dub sound
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Cardiac Cycle Control
• Intrinsic control: by Specialized Nervous Tissues
• Extrinsic control: Vegetative Nervous System

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Intrinsic Control by Specialized Nervous Tissues

• Autorhythmicity: ability of cardiac

muscle tissue to initiate impulse for
contraction at regular intervals. Inside
the muscle there are a network of
Specialized Nervous Tissues that
generate impulses
• Sinoatrial node: pacemaker of
cardiac contraction; initiates
atrial contraction/systole
• Atrioventricular node: delays
impulse, allowing atria to contract
before ventricles
• Purkinje fibers: rapidly spreads
impulse to contract ventricles in a
synchronized manner

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Intrinsic Control by Specialized Nervous Tissues

https://youtu.be/ftn4YqybQww?
si=_WtoEE3NdoATI6vw

Esta foto de Autor desconocido se concede bajo

licencia de CC BY-SA.
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Electrocardiogram

• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
– A medical test that records the
electrical activity of the heart. It
is done using electrodes on the
skin.
– Electrical activity coincides with
contraction and relaxation of
heart chambers.
– The wave height represents the
amount of electrical activity and
is related to the amount of heart
muscle.
– Horizontal length of wave (x-
axis) represents amount of time
for that wave to occur

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Extrinsic Control of Cardiac Cycle

• Parasympathetic
nerve fibers:
decrease heart rate
• Sympathetic
nerve fibers:
increase heart rate
• Epinephrine from
adrenal gland
increases heart rate

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Cardiac Output (Q)
• Amount of blood pumped per minute (Lmin−1 or mLmin−1)
• Determined by heart rate (HR) & stroke volume (SV). Stroke
volume: amount of blood pumped with each contraction of
ventricles.
– Q = HR (bmp) × SV (mL)

Rest SV=70ml HR=70bpm Q = 5 L/min

Untrained
Exerci s e SV=115ml HR=180bpm Q = 21 L/mi n

Rest SV=130ml HR40 bpm Q = 5 L/min

Highly trained

Exerci s e SV=170ml HR=180bpm Q = 31 L/mi n

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Cardiac Output (Q)
Some factors that influences Q:
• Contractility: heart's ability to contract and eject
blood efficiently.
– Frank-Starling mechanism: Increased
venous return (preload) stretches the
ventricle, causing reactionary increase in
contractile force of ventricle .
• Afterload: blood pressure in aorta and
pulmonary arteries. If blood pressure in
arteries increases, SV tend to decrease.
– In situations where blood pressure is high, the
heart will have to work harder to maintain Q
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Cardiac Output (Q)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFRkSB46bl8&t=163s

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Blood pressure and blood flow
Blood Pressure: measure
of the force that the blood
exerts against the vessel
walls. Blood pressure is
different along the CV
system
Blood flow: the movement
of blood through the
vessels. Blood always moves
from an area of high
pressure to a region of
lower pressure (from the
arteries to the capillaries
and then to the veins).

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Systolic and Diastolic Pressure Changes in
Periphery

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Laws Governing Blood Flow

Blood flow = change in pressure/resistance to flow

Resistance to flow = 8ηL/πr4
– Thus, increase in pressure difference increases flow.
– Thus, decreasing resistance increases flow.
– Increase in radius of vessel increases flow.
– Decreasing blood viscosity increases flow.

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Blood vessels properties

Elasticity: Ability to stretch when blood pressure is

high and return to their original shape when pressure decreases. It
is greater in arteries to absorb the pressure generated by cardiac
contraction in order to maintain continuous blood flow and
adequate blood pressure throughout the cardiac cycle.

Capacitance: capacity of certain blood vessels, greater in veins,

to temporarily store blood. It allows veins to act as blood
reservoirs, gradually releasing blood in response to the body's
demands and contribute to blood pressure stability during changes
in body position and metabolic needs.

Compliance: combines elasticity and capacitance. It refers to

how blood vessels can expand or distend in response to changes in
blood pressure or volume. Contributes to the regulation of blood
pressure and blood distribution throughout the body.

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https://youtu.be/M5Te5S-
qjIU?si=hEUBQ--u50_FR6Zq

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Systolic and Diastolic Pressure Changes in
Periphery

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Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressures

• Systolic blood pressure: highest pressure occurring

during systole
• Diastolic blood pressure: lowest pressure during diastole
• Measured within brachial artery with sphygmomanometer
& stethoscope
• Typical resting BP = 120/80 mm Hg (systole/diastole)
when measured at brachial artery
– The pressure decreases as blood travels into smaller
and smaller branches of blood vessels such as
capillaries. However, it is high enough to allow blood
to flow
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Oxygen Delivery to Tissue

• Oxygen delivery depends

on:
– Amount of oxygen
that the tissue
extracts from the
blood that passes
through it.
– Amount of blood
flowing through tissue
• At rest, both of the above
factors somewhat
constant, but amplified
https://youtu.be/WXOBJEXxNEo?si=
during exercise, specially psNO_AChwyTM6cDG
in active zones.
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