ANATOMY OF

CARDIOVASCULAR
SYSTEM

Dr. Hina Abrar

(Ph. D Pharmacology)
Assistant Professor
Dow college of Pharmacy, DUHS
 Circulatory
system

The The blood

Lymphatic Circulatory
system system

Arterial Venous
Blood Heart
system system

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CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
The cardiovascular system (cardio- heart; vascular blood or blood vessels)
consists of three interrelated components:
Blood
The heart
 Blood vessels

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• The lymphatic system is made up of a
large network of lymphatic vessels,
lymphoid organs, and lymphoid tissues.
• The vessels carry a clear fluid called
lymph towards the heart.
• The main function is that of immune
defense.
• Lymph is very similar to blood plasma,
in that it contains waste products and
cellular debris, together with bacteria
and proteins.
• The cells of the lymph are mostly
lymphocytes.
• Lymphoid organs: lymph nodes (each of
a number of small swellings in the
lymphatic system where lymph is
filtered and lymphocytes are formed and
highest lymphocyte concentration is
found), the spleen, the thymus, and the
tonsils.
• Lymphocytes are initially generated in
the bone marrow. 4
BLOOD
Blood is a liquid connective tissue that consists of cells surrounded by
extracellular matrix.
Blood has three general functions:
Transportation
Regulation
Protection

 The temperature of blood is about 38°C (100.4°F).

 Its pH is slightly alkaline, ranging from 7.35 to 7.45.
It provides one of the means of communication between the cells of different
parts of the body and the external environment.
It carries:
 Oxygen and carbon dioxide
 Nutrients
 Excretory matter
 Hormones
 Heat
 Protective substances
 Clotting factors
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 Fluid Connective tissue

Blood

RBCs WBCs, Platelets,

Plasma

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PROPORTION
 Blood constitutes about 8% of the total body weight. (8/100 x 65 = 5.2)
 The blood volume is 5 to 6 liters in an average-sized adult male and 4 to 5
liters in an average-sized adult female.
The difference in volume is due to differences in body size.
COMPOSITION OF BLOOD
Blood is composed of,

Plasma, Composition of Blood

 constitutes about 55%

Plasma

Cells, Cells

 constitutes about 45% of blood volume

 PLAS
MA
Plasma is composed of,
 Water (90 – 92 %), 7% proteins, and 1.5% solutes other than proteins.
 Dissolved solids.
 Plasma proteins
 Inorganic salts (mineral salts or electrolytes) Composition of Blood
 Nutrients (vitamins)
water
 Organic waste materials dissolved
 Hormones solids

 Enzymes Gases Waste products

PROTEINS IN THE BLOOD
Proteins in the blood, the plasma proteins, are synthesized mainly
by the liver.
The most plentiful plasma proteins are the albumins, which
account for about 54% of all plasma proteins.
Among other functions, albumins help maintain proper blood
osmotic pressure.
Globulins, which compose 38% of plasma proteins, include
antibodies, defensive proteins produced during certain immune
responses.
Fibrinogen makes up about 7% of plasma proteins and is a key
protein in formation of blood clots.
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CELLULAR CONTENT OF
BLOOD
Formed Elements of the blood are the following
Erythrocytes. 4.8 – 5.4 million per µL

Thrombocytes. 150,000 – 450,000 per µL

Leukocytes. 5,000 – 10,000 per µL

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 FORMATION OF BLOOD
CELLS
The process by which the formed elements of blood develop called hemopoiesis or hematopoiesis.

Before birth, hemopoiesis occurs in the yolk sac of an embryo and later in liver, spleen, thymus, and lymph

nodes of a fetus.
Red bone marrow is a highly vascularized connective tissue located in the microscopic spaces between

trabeculae spongy bone tissue. It is present chiefly in bones of the axial skeleton, and epiphyses of the humerus

and femur.
Red bone marrow becomes the primary site of hemopoiesis in the last 3 months before birth, and continues as
the source of blood cells after birth and throughout life.
PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS
About 0.05–0.1% of red bone marrow cells called pluripotent stem cells.
These cells have capacity to develop into many different types of cells.
 In response to stimulation by specific hormones, pluripotent stem cells generate
two other types of stem cells
Myeloid stem cells and
Lymphoid stem cells

Myeloid stem cells differentiate into several types of cells: red blood cells,
platelets, eosinophils, basophils, neutrophils, and monocytes.
Lymphoid stem cells begin their development in red bone marrow but complete in
lymphatic tissues.
They differentiate into cells from which the T and B lymphocytes develop.
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ERYTHROCYTES
Circular
Biconcave
Non-nucleated discs
With a diameter of about 8 microns.
Cytosol Contains hemoglobin—a red iron-rich
protein that binds oxygen.
Hemoglobin costitute 33% of cell weight
Their plasma membrane is both strong
and flexible, which allows them to deform without rupturing as they squeeze through narrow
blood capillaries
 Can be classified as,

LEUKOCYTES  Granulocytes
 Multilobed nuclei
Defense.  Names represent the dyes they take up
when stained in the laboratory
Largest blood cells.  Eosinophils take up the red acid dye,
Account for about 1% of the eosin
blood volume.  Basophils take up alkaline methylene
blue
Nucleated.  and Neutrophils are purple because they
take up both dyes

 Agranulocytes.
 with a large nucleus and no granules
TYPES OF LEUKOCYTES:
Five types of white blood cells are normally
present in the blood. They are,
a) Basophil
b) Eosinophil
c) Neutrophil
d) Lymphocyte
e) Monocyte
GRANULOCYTES
Neutrophils
 60-70% of all leukocytes
 Protection against foreign material
 Chemo tactic
 Pass through the capillary walls in the affected area by amoeboid movement
 Engulf and kill the microbes by phagocytosis
 Their granules are lysosomes
GRANULOCYTES
Eosinophils.
 2–4%
 Less active than neutrophils in phagocytosis.
 Specialized role appears to be in the elimination of parasites, such as
worms.
 Allergic inflammation.
GRANULOCYTES
Basophils.
 0.5-1%
 Closely associated with allergic reactions,
 Contain cytoplasmic granules packed with heparin, histamine and other
substances that promote inflammation.
AGRANULOCYTES
Monocytes.
3–8%
Some circulate in the blood and are actively motile and
phagocytic while others migrate into the tissues where they
develop into macrophages
Both types of cell produce interleukin 1 which:
Acts on the hypothalamus
Stimulates the production of some globulins by the liver
Enhances the production of activated T-lymphocytes
 AGRANULOCYTES
Lymphocytes.
 20–25%
 They circulate in the blood and are present in great numbers in lymphatic
tissue.
 T cells and B cells.
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THROMBOCYTES
Very small non-nucleated discs, 2 to 4 um in diameter.
Contain a variety of substances that promote blood clotting.
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 HEART
The heart is a roughly cone-shaped hollow muscular
organ
Position:
The heart lies in the thoracic cavity in the
mediastinum (an anatomical region that
extends from the sternum to the vertebral column) between
the lungs
 It lies a little more to the left than the right.
 Heart is about the size of closed fist.
 The pointed end, the apex, is formed by the tip of
the left ventricle, a lower chamber of the heart, and
rests on the diaphragm.
 The mediastinum is a division of the thoracic cavity; it
contains the heart, thymus gland, portions of the oesophagus
and trachea
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ORGANS ASSOCIATED WITH
THE HEART
 Inferiorly — the apex rests on the central tendon of the diaphragm.
 Superiorly — the great blood vessels, i.e. the aorta, superior vena cava,
pulmonary artery and pulmonary veins.
 Posteriorly — the oesophagus, trachea, left and right bronchus, descending
aorta, inferior vena cava and thoracic vertebrae.
 Laterally — the lungs — the left lung overlaps the left side of the heart
 Anteriorly — the sternum, ribs and intercostal muscles
STRUCTURE
The heart is composed of three layers of tissue,
1. Pericardium,
2. Myocardium and
3. Endocardium.
 PERICARDIUM
The membrane that surrounds and protects the heart
It consists of two parts: the fibrous and serous pericardium.
The outer fibrous pericardium is tough, inelastic, dense irregular connective tissue.
The inner serous pericardium is a thinner, more delicate membrane that forms a double
layer around the heart.
The outer parietal layer of the serous pericardium is fused to the fibrous pericardium, and
the inner visceral layer of the serous pericardium, also called the epicardium adheres
tightly to the surface of the heart.
Between the parietal and visceral layers of the serous pericardium fluid, known as
pericardial fluid, reduces friction between the membranes as the heart moves.
The pericardial cavity is the space that contains the pericardial fluid.
 MYOCARDIU
M
 The myocardium (myo- muscle) consists of cardiac
muscle tissue.
 This tissue is found only in the heart and is
specialized in structure and function.
 The myocardium is responsible for the pumping
action of the heart.
Cardiac muscle fibers (cells) has a nucleus
They are involuntary, striated, and branched, and the
tissue is arranged in bundles of fibers.
 CARDIAC MUSCLE
Cardiac muscle has many structural and functional characteristics
intermediate between those of skeletal and smooth muscle.

Provides for the continuous, rhythmic contractility of the heart.

Although striated in appearance, cardiac muscle is readily distinguishable

from skeletal muscle.
Cardiac muscle fibers are essentially long cylindrical
cells with one or at most two nuclei, centrally located
within the cell.
The ends of the fibers are split longitudinally into a
small number of branches.
Between the muscle fibers is the delicate collagenous
tissue supplied with extremely rich capillary network.
Also have a system of T tubules and sarcoplasmic
reticulum analogous to that of skeletal muscles.
Between the ends of adjacent cardiac muscle cells are
specialized intercellular junctions, called intercalated
discs.
The function of T-TUBULES is to conduct impulses from the surface of the
cell (SARCOLEMMA). SARCOPLASMIC RETICULUM is to STORE
CALCIUM IONS.
Note:
 Nuclei
 The elongated nuclei are mainly centrally
located.
 The striations.
 Intercalated discs.
 The ends of cardiac muscle fibers connect to neighboring
fibers by irregular transverse thickenings of the
sarcolemma called intercalated

discs
 Branching.
 Collagenous tissue.
 (Collagen: is the main structural protein in the
extracellular matrix found in the body's various
connective tissues)
 ENDOCARDIUM (ENDO- WITHIN)

Endocardium is a thin, Smooth and

Glistening layer of simple squamous
epithelium that lines the inside of the
myocardium and covers the valves of the
heart and the tendons attached to the valves.
It is continuous with the epithelial lining of
the large blood vessels.
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INTERIOR OF THE
HEART
A septum.
Atrium.
Ventricle.
Atrioventricular valves.
 Tricuspid valve on the right
side.
 Bicuspid (mitral) valve on
the left side.
Chordae tendineae.
Papillary muscles.
Semilunar valves
 Pulmonary valve.
 Aortic valve.
 Chambers of the Heart

The heart contains four chambers.

The two upper chambers are atria, and the two lower chambers are the
ventricles.

The pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood from the

right ventricle to the lungs.
In contrast pulmonary veins transfer oxygenated blood from
the lungs to the heart.
The paired atria receive blood from blood vessels returning blood to the heart,
called veins
While the ventricles eject the blood from the heart into blood vessels called arteries.
The right ventricle is separated from the left ventricle by a partition called the
interventricular septum.

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The right atrium forms the right surface of the heart and receives blood from three veins: the
superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, and coronary sinus.
Between the right atrium and left atrium is a thin partition called the interatrial septum.
The left atrium is about the same thickness as the right atrium and forms most of the base of
the heart. It receives blood from the lungs through four pulmonary veins
Blood passes from the right atrium into the right ventricle through a valve that is called the
tricuspid valve
The right ventricle is about 4–5 mm in average thickness and forms most of the anterior
surface of the heart.
Blood passes from the right ventricle through the pulmonary valve
Internally, the right
ventricle is separated from the left ventricle by a partition called the interventricular septum.
The left ventricle is the thickest chamber of the heart, averaging10–15 mm
Blood passes from the left ventricle through the aortic valve (aortic semilunar valve)into the
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ascending aorta
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 VALVES OF
THE HEART
As heart contracts, it pushes a volume of blood into a ventricle or out of the heart into an artery.
To prevent the blood from flowing backward, the heart has four valves.
These valves open and close in response to pressure changes as the heart contracts and relaxes.
Atrioventricular (AV) valves lie between the atria and ventricles.
The atrioventricular valve between the right atrium and right ventricle is called the tricuspid
valve because it consists of three cusps (projecting, raise).
Tendon like cords, called chordae tendineae, connect the pointed ends to papillary muscles.
The chordae tendineae prevent the valve cusps from pushing up into the atria when the
ventricles contract and are aligned to allow the valve cusps to tightly close the valve.
The atrioventricular valve between the left atrium and left ventricle is called the bicuspid
(mitral) valve. It has two cusps that work in the same way as the cusps of the tricuspid valve.
 VALVES OF
THE HEART
Semilunar valves
Near the origin of the pulmonary trunk and aorta are semilunar valves called the
pulmonary valve and the aortic valve that prevent blood from flowing back into the
heart.
The pulmonary valve lies in the opening where the pulmonary trunk leaves the right
ventricle.
 The aortic valve is situated at the opening between the left ventricle and the aorta.
 Each valve consists of three semilunar (half-moon-shaped) cusps that attach to the
artery wall.
The heart tone “lub,”, is caused by the closure of the mitral and tricuspid atrioventricular (AV)
valves. The heart tone “dub,” is caused by the closure of the aortic valve and pulmonary valve
 HEART VALVES
Fibrous Skeleton of the Heart
 Composed of dense connective
tissue
 Consists of four dense
connective tissue rings
 Each surrounding heart valves
 Fuse with one another and
Merge with the
interventricular septum
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FLOW OF BLOOD THROUGH
THE HEART
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BLOOD SUPPLY TO THE
HEART
Arterial supply.
Right and Left coronary arteries.
Venous drainage.
Coronary sinus
 Most of the venous blood is collected into
several small veins that join to form the
coronary sinus which opens into the right
atrium

Remainder passes directly into

the heart chambers through little
venous channels.
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 CONDUCTING SYSTEM OF
THE HEART
Intrinsic system for generation and
propagation of impulses
1. Sinoatrial node (SA node)
 The ‘pace-maker’
2. The Internodal atrial pathways
 Anterior internodal tract of Bachman
 Middle internodal tract of Wenckebach
 Posterior internodal tract of Thorel
3. Atrioventricular node (AV node).
4. Atrioventricular bundle (AV bundle or
bundle of His)

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Regulation of Heart Rate
Adjustments to the heart rate are important to control of cardiac output and
blood pressure. If left to itself, the sinoatrial node would set a constant heart
rate of about 100 beats/min. However, tissues require different volumes of
blood flow under different conditions. During exercise, for example, cardiac
output rises to supply working tissues with increased amounts of oxygen and
nutrients. The most important factors in the regulation of heart rate are the
autonomic nervous system and the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine,
released by the adrenal glands.
Autonomic Regulation of Heart Rate
The nervous system regulation of the heart originates in the cardiovascular
(CV) center in the medulla oblongata. This region of the brain stem receives
input from a variety of
sensory receptors.
 Arising from the CV center are sympathetic neurons that reach the heart via cardiac
accelerator nerves.
 They innervate the conduction system, atria, and ventricles.
 The norepinephrine released by cardiac accelerator nerves increases the heart rate.
 Also arising from the CV center are parasympathetic neurons that reach the heart via the
vagus (X) nerves.
 These parasympathetic neurons extend to the conduction system and atria.
 The neurotransmitter they release—acetylcholine (ACh)—decreases the heart rate by
slowing the pacemaking activity of the SA node.
 Several types of sensory receptors provide input to the cardiovascular center.
 For example, baroreceptors (baro- pressure), neurons sensitive to blood pressure
changes, are strategically located in the arch of the aorta and carotid arteries (arteries in
the neck that supply blood to the brain).
 If there is an increase in blood pressure, the baroreceptors send nerve impulses along
sensory neurons that are part of the glossopharyngeal (IX) and vagus (X) nerves to the
CV center.
BLOOD VESSEL STRUCTURE
There are five types of blood vessels:
arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, and veins.
Arteries carry blood away from the heart to body tissues.
Two large arteries—the aorta and the pulmonary trunk—emerge from the heart and
branch out into medium-sized arteries that serve various regions of the body.
These medium-sized arteries then divide into small arteries, which, in turn, divide
into still smaller arteries called arterioles.
Arterioles within a tissue or organ branch into numerous microscopic vessels called
capillaries.
Groups of capillaries within a tissue reunite to form small veins called venules.
These, in turn, merge to form progressively larger vessels called veins.
Veins are the blood vessels that convey blood from the tissues back to the heart.
ARTERIAL
SYSTEM
The walls of arteries have three layers of tissue
surrounding a hollow space, the lumen, through
which the blood flows.
The inner layer is composed of endothelium, a
type of simple squamous epithelium; a
basement membrane; and an elastic tissue
called the internal elastic lamina. The middle
layer consists of smooth muscle and elastic
tissue. The outer layer is composed mainly of
elastic and collagen fibers.
These are the blood vessels that transport blood away from the heart.
Their walls consist of three layers of tissue,
 tunica adventitia or outer layer of fibrous tissue.
 tunica media or middle layer of smooth muscle and elastic tissue.
 tunica intima or inner lining of squamous epithelium called endothelium.
Elastic Arteries
 Largest arteries in the body
 These vessels are characterized by well-
defined internal and external elastic
laminae
 Tunica media is dominated by elastic
fibers, called the elastic lamellae
Muscular Arteries
 Medium-sized arteries are called
muscular arteries because their tunica
media contains more smooth muscle and
fewer elastic fibers than elastic arteries
 have a well-defined internal elastic
lamina but a thin external elastic lamina
Arterioles
 Small arteries
 Tunica media consists of one to two
layers of smooth muscle cells having a
circular orientation in the vessel wall
 Metarteriole - The terminal end of the
arteriole
 Tapers toward the capillary junction
 At the metarteriole–capillary junction, the distal
most muscle cell forms the precapillary sphincter
Anastomoses.
Most parts of the body receive blood from branches of more than one artery,
and where two or more arteries supply the same region, they usually connect.
Thus, provide alternative routes for blood to particular organ or tissue.
The myocardium contains many anastomoses that connect branches of a
given coronary artery or extend between branches of different coronary
arteries.
Thus, heart muscle may receive sufficient oxygen even if one of its coronary
arteries is partially blocked.
VENOUS
SYSTEM
The veins are the blood vessels that return blood at low pressure to the heart.
The walls of the veins are thinner than those of arteries but have the same three layers of tissue.
Arteries have smaller lumens than veins, a characteristic that helps to maintain the
pressure of blood moving through the system. Together, their thicker walls and smaller
diameters give arterial lumens a more rounded appearance in cross section than
the lumens of veins.
 Structural changes as a function of
VALVES
change in size are not very
prominent Thin folds of tunica interna that form
 Veins, in general, have very thin flaplike cusps
walls relative to their total diameter Present especially in those of the
 Composed of essentially the same limbs
three layers as arteries (Movement of the leg squeezes
 Lack the internal or external elastic the veins, which pushes the blood
laminae found in arteries toward the heart and the valves open.
 The lumen of a vein is larger than When the muscle is at rest,
the valves close helping to prevent
that of a comparable artery the backward flow of blood.
 Often appear collapsed when
sectioned
A VASCULAR (VENOUS) SINUS
 A vein with a thin endothelial wall
that has no smooth muscle to alter its
diameter
CAPILLARIES AND
SINUSOIDS
CAPILLARIES:
 Capillary walls consist of a single layer of endothelial cells through which water and other
small-molecule substances can pass.
 Blood cells and large-molecule substances such as plasma proteins do not normally pass through
capillary walls. Following are the three types of capillaries:
 CONTINUOUS CAPILLARIES
 are continuous in the sense that the endothelial cells provide an uninterrupted lining.
Found in the central nervous system, lungs, muscle tissue, and the skin
 FENESTRATED CAPILLARIES
 have pores in the endothelial cell lining, found in the kidneys, villi of the small intestine,
choroid (produce csf) plexuses ( branching network of vessels or nerves) of the ventricles in
the brain, ciliary processes of the eyes, and most endocrine glands.
SINUSOIDS (discontinuous capillaries):
 Wider than capillaries and have extremely thin walls.
 Walls are made up of endothelial cells.
 Found in liver, bone marrow , endocrine glands, spleen e.t.c.
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BLOOD
SUPPLY
Vasa vasorum:
A network of small blood vessels that supplies the walls of
large blood vessels, such as elastic arteries (aorta) and
large veins (venae cavae).
These small vessels serve to provide blood supply and
nourishment for tunica adventitia and outer parts of
tunica media of large vessels.
Vessels with thin walls receive oxygen and nutrients by
diffusion from the blood passing through them
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REFERENCES