Circulatory System
The Circulatory System is the process in the human body where blood is cycled through blood vessels, the heart and the lungs. The circulatory keeps tissue in the body filled with oxygen, which is used for energy in cellular respiration. Without oxygen, the body is unable to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the energy currency of the body.
Blood - All the oxygen and nutrients that travel using the circulatory system is contained in the blood
Heart - The heart is a muscle that creates pressure in the circulatory system to cycle the blood to and from the tissue. The heart is also responsible for cycling the blood to and from the lungs, which is where the blood is able to bond to oxygen and remove carbon dioxide.
Vessels - The vessels are the medium in which the blood travels. The vessels are made up of arteries, arterioles, capillaries and veins.
Lungs - The lungs fill with oxygen when a person inhales. The oxygen travels to the bronchioles and into alveoli where gas exchange occurs with red blood cells.
Blood - All the oxygen and nutrients that travel using the circulatory system is contained in the blood
Heart - The heart is a muscle that creates pressure in the circulatory system to cycle the blood to and from the tissue. The heart is also responsible for cycling the blood to and from the lungs, which is where the blood is able to bond to oxygen and remove carbon dioxide.
Vessels - The vessels are the medium in which the blood travels. The vessels are made up of arteries, arterioles, capillaries and veins.
Lungs - The lungs fill with oxygen when a person inhales. The oxygen travels to the bronchioles and into alveoli where gas exchange occurs with red blood cells.
The right side of the heart is responsible for sending blood to the lungs, where the red blood cells pick up fresh oxygen. This OXYGENATED blood is then returned to the left side of the heart. From here the oxygenated blood is transported to the whole body supplying the fuel that the body cells need to function. The blood cells of the body extract or removes oxygen from the blood. The oxygen-poor blood is returned to the right atrium, where the journey began. This round trip is known as the CIRCULATION of blood.
Whole blood contains red cells, white cells, and platelets (~45% of volume) suspended in plasma (~55% of volume).
Red cells, or erythrocytes, carry oxygen from the lungs to your body’s tissue and take carbon dioxide back to your lungs to be exhaled.
Platelets, or thrombocytes, are small, colorless cell fragments in the blood whose main function is to interact with clotting proteins to stop or prevent bleeding.
Plasma is a fluid, composed of about 92% water, 7% vital proteins such as albumin, gamma globulin, anti- hemophilic factor, and other clotting factors, and 1% mineral salts, sugars, fats, hormones and vitamins.
In a human body, there are three types of circulation of blood:
Systemic (greater) circulation: The blood flows from the left ventricle, through various parts of the body, to the right atrium, from the left to the right side of the heart through the arteries and veins which traverse the whole body. This circulation is responsible for keeping the body tissues alive by supplying a continuous stream of blood to them.
Pulmonary (lesser) circulation: The blood flows from the right ventricle, through the lungs, to the left atrium, from the right to the left side of the heart. This circulation is responsible for oxygenation of blood. In pulmonary circulation, the blood passes through the lungs where Carbon dioxide is eliminated and Oxygen is added to blood. In this way, the pulmonary circulation makes sure that systemic circulation remains effective.
Portal circulation: It is a part of systemic circulation, which has the following characteristics.
The blood passes through two sets of capillaries before draining into a systemic vein.
The vein draining the first capillary network is known as portal vein which branches like an artery to form the second set of capillaries or sinusoids. Examples: hepatic portal circulation, hypothalamo hypophyseal portal circulation and renal portal circulation.
Whole blood contains red cells, white cells, and platelets (~45% of volume) suspended in plasma (~55% of volume).
Red cells, or erythrocytes, carry oxygen from the lungs to your body’s tissue and take carbon dioxide back to your lungs to be exhaled.
Platelets, or thrombocytes, are small, colorless cell fragments in the blood whose main function is to interact with clotting proteins to stop or prevent bleeding.
Plasma is a fluid, composed of about 92% water, 7% vital proteins such as albumin, gamma globulin, anti- hemophilic factor, and other clotting factors, and 1% mineral salts, sugars, fats, hormones and vitamins.
In a human body, there are three types of circulation of blood:
Systemic (greater) circulation: The blood flows from the left ventricle, through various parts of the body, to the right atrium, from the left to the right side of the heart through the arteries and veins which traverse the whole body. This circulation is responsible for keeping the body tissues alive by supplying a continuous stream of blood to them.
Pulmonary (lesser) circulation: The blood flows from the right ventricle, through the lungs, to the left atrium, from the right to the left side of the heart. This circulation is responsible for oxygenation of blood. In pulmonary circulation, the blood passes through the lungs where Carbon dioxide is eliminated and Oxygen is added to blood. In this way, the pulmonary circulation makes sure that systemic circulation remains effective.
Portal circulation: It is a part of systemic circulation, which has the following characteristics.
The blood passes through two sets of capillaries before draining into a systemic vein.
The vein draining the first capillary network is known as portal vein which branches like an artery to form the second set of capillaries or sinusoids. Examples: hepatic portal circulation, hypothalamo hypophyseal portal circulation and renal portal circulation.