The Cardiovascular System

by Elise Chassman, Ryan Clark, Katie Mayfield, and Jared

Franklin

What it Does:
The cardiovascular system brings oxygen and other nutrients to all of the
organs and cells in the body.

How it Functions:
The cardiovascular system consists of the heart,
arteries, veins, and capillaries.
The heart pumps the blood.
Then the arteries deliver the nutrient rich blood
to the capillaries throughout the body.
The veins then take the blood back to the heart.
Next, the heart pumps the blood to the lungs.
While the blood is in the capillaries the lungs
give the blood the oxygen the cells need.
The blood then travels back through the veins to
the heart to start the cycle again.

How its Organized:

The heart is the center of the
cardiovascular system.
It pumps blood through the arteries, which
distribute blood to the cells through
capillaries.
The deoxygenated blood returns to the
heart from veins.
The blood enters the heart through
collecting tubules and exits through
distributing tubules.

Interactions with Other Systems:

Nervous System - the brain controls the cardiovascular system

Lymphatic system - return filtered blood plasma from cardiovascular system

Respiratory system - the respiratory system delivers oxygen to the

cardiovascular system

Muscular system - the cardiovascular system delivers oxygenated blood to the

muscular system

Types of Cells and Tissues:

the variety of tissues include:

epithelial- helps create the structure of arteries, veins, and capillaries, and covers the heart
muscle- the heart is made up of muscle tissue, which allows it to pump the blood
nervous- reacts to stimuli and send impulses around the body (lets the brain control the

circulatory system)
connective- makes up structure of circulatory system as well as the glue that holds the body
together

cells:

red blood- transport oxygen and nutrients throughout the body

white blood- help body defend against bacteria and diseases
platelet- cause blood to clot when the tissue is cut, forming a scab

Cardiovascular Diseases:
heart attack- the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked by a blood clot
high blood pressure- the force of blood against the artery walls is too high
stroke- damage to the brain from lack of blood supply
coronary artery diseases- damage or disease in the hearts major blood vessels
cardiac arrest- sudden, unexpected loss of heart function, breathing, and consciousness
arrhythmia- improper beating of the heart (too fast or too slow)

Stress cardiomyopathy-

a sudden, temporary weakening of the the myocardium

To prevent these from occurring, dont smoke, eat well, and be physically active.

How the System Works:

The blood carries oxygen to the body from the lungs

Its dependent on the heart and vessels going throughout the body
The arteries carry the oxygenated blood out of the heart
The veins carry deoxygenated blood back into the heart
The brain cells send signals through the nervous tissue
The signals go throughout the body telling them how to function

Facts About the Circulatory System:

When laid end to end capillaries and veins would stretch about 60,000 miles
(100,000 kilometers). The capillaries, which are the smallest of the blood
vessels, would make up about 80 percent of this length.
Animals with larger bodies have slower heart rates.
Physicians followed an incorrect model of the circulatory system for 1500
years.
Even if the heart is separated from the body it will keep beating as long as it is
still receiving oxygen.
The end of a relationship can often cause stress cardiomyopathy also known
as broken heart syndrome

References:
http://diannes-circulatory-system.weebly.com/major-organs-tissues-and-cells.html
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heartdiseases.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0072434/
http://cnx.org/contents/GqYHW4Z4@3/Circulatory-Pathways
http://www.livescience.com/39925-circulatory-system-facts-surprising.html
http://www.innerbody.com
http://www.texasheart.org/HIC/Anatomy/