The Story of the Circulatory System

Fill in the blanks in order to complete the story.

A) The Cardiac Circulation

1) The heart is made of _______________________ muscle, which is ___________________________--i.e. not under

our direct control. The muscle that makes up the heart has many energy-producing organelles called
___________________________ to allow for continuous cellular respiration to make energy so the heart muscles do not
fatigue.

2) The _____________________ side of the heart handles deoxygenated blood.

Deoxygenated blood from the upper body flows to the heart through the ___________________________________,
while deoxygenated blood from the lower body flows to the heart through the _____________________. Both these
large veins drain into the __________________________________ of the heart. From here, blood travels through the
tricuspid valve and collects in the ______________________________________________.

3) In order to get oxygenated, blood travels from the right ventricle through the right and left _______________
_________________ to the lungs. In the lungs, the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between air and blood cells
occurs in the ______________________.

4) Once the blood cells pick up oxygen in the lung, they travel back to the _______________________ side of the heart
through the right and left __________________________________. The blood first collects in the __________________
___________________, from which it passes through the mitral valve into the powerful ________________________.

5) Contraction of the powerful left ventricle propels oxygenated blood into the _____________________________. The
_____________________________ aorta supplies oxygenated blood to the organs and tissues of the upper body, while
the _________________________________ aorta supplies the lower body.
B) The Systemic Circulation

1) The aorta has many branches called ________________________ that carry oxygenated blood ______________ from
the heart to individual organs and tissues. Arteries have thick and elastic walls that are made of
_____________________ muscle. Contraction of the muscular arterial walls helps propel blood through the arteries.

2) When oxygenated blood reaches the organs and tissues, it is used by their cells for the process of
_________________________________________, which makes energy and releases ___________________________
as a byproduct. The carbon dioxide attaches to red blood cells and is carried back toward the heart through the
_______________________.

3) Veins usually carry ___________________________ blood ________ the right heart from the organs and tissues.
Unlike arteries, veins have a thin smooth muscle layer and slightly elastic walls. Veins also have flaps called
_________________, which prevent the backflow of blood. Contraction of skeletal muscles around the veins helps keep
blood moving back to the heart.

4) Arteries and veins branch into smaller vessels called _______________________ and ________________________.
These small vessels are connected by tiny tubules that are one cell thick called ______________________________,
which are in close contact with the organs and tissues of the body. The ________________________ of oxygen, carbon
dioxide, and nutrients occur between the tissues and the blood through these capillaries.

C) The Blood

1) The blood is made mostly of _________________, a beige-coloured liquid consisting of water, ions, proteins,
nutrients, gases, and wastes. Red blood cells make up 44% of the blood’s volume. These cells contain a protein called
_______________________________, which binds to oxygen and delivers it to the tissues. At the tissues, hemoglobin
picks up ________________________________. The deoxygenated blood flows through the veins to return to the
________________________ side of the heart.

2) The remaining 1% of the blood is made up of ___________________________ and _________________________.

______________________________ play an important role in fighting bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Platelets
consist of tiny cell fragments that play a role in blood ______________________, which prevents excessive bleeding.
 SOLUTION SET:

A) The Cardiac Circulation

1) cardiac, involuntary, mitochondria

2) right, superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, right atrium, right ventricle

3) pulmonary arteries, alveoli

4) left, pulmonary veins, left atrium, left ventricle

5) aorta, ascending, descending

B) The Systemic Circulation

1) arteries, away, smooth

2) cellular respiration, carbon dioxide, veins

3) deoxygenated, to, valves

4) arterioles, venules, capillaries, diffusion

C) The Blood

1) plasma, hemoglobin, carbon dioxide, right

2) white blood cells (leukocytes), platelets, white blood cells (leukocytes), clotting