THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

- It is the combined function of the heart, blood and blood vessels to transport
oxygen and nutrients to organs and tissues throughout the body and carry away
waste products.

Divisions of the Circulatory System

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1. Cardiovascular System
Components:
a. heart – center of cardiovascular
system
b. blood vessels – arteries, veins,
arterioles, venules,
capillaries
c. blood – circulating medium
2. Lymphatic System
Components:
a. lymphatic organs – tonsils, lymph nodes,
spleen, thymus
b. lymphatic vessels – afferent, efferent
c. lymph – circulating medium
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A. Heart
- A hollow muscular organ that weighs approximately 250-350gms

Functions:
1. Generating blood pressure
2. Routing blood
3. Ensuring one way of blood flow
4. Regulating blood supply

I. Location of the heart:

o Situated between the lungs along the body’s midline within the thoracic cavity in
the area of mediastinum (a midline partition formed by the heart, trachea,
esophagus, and ass. Structures)
o About 2/3 of the mass of the heart lies to the left of the body’s midline.

II. Size and form of the heart

o The heart is shaped like a blunt cone about the size of a closed fist about 5in
long, 3 ½ in wide at the broadest point, and 2 ½ thick.
o The apex is formed by the tip of the left ventricle and projects inferiorly, anteriorly
and to the left.
o The base is formed by the atria and projects superiorly, posteriorly and to the
right.

III. Heart covering

o enclosed and held the heart in place by the “pericardium”, designed to confine
the heart to its position in the mediastinum, and allow freedom of movement.
Layers of pericardium:
1. Fibrous (outer) pericardium – resembles a bag and is attached to diaphragm
2. Serous (inner) pericardium – thinner and forms a double layer around the heart.
a. parietal layer – outer, directly beneath the fibrous pericardium
b. visceral layer – inner, also known as the epicardium.

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IV. Heart wall
1. Epicardium – a thin, transparent, outer layer of the wall
2. Myocardium – the cardiac muscle tissue and constitutes the bulk of the heart,
responsible for the contraction of the heart.
3. Endocardium – lines the inside of the myocardium and covers the heart valves.

V. External Anatomy
1. Atria – located at the base of the heart
2. Ventricles – extends from the base toward the apex
3. Coronary sulcus – extends around the heart, separating the atria and ventricles
4. Interventricular sulcus – separating the 2 ventricles

VI. Chambers of the heart; (Internal Anatomy)

1. Right and left Atria – superior chamber, reservoir/receiving chamber
2. Right and left Ventricles – inferior chamber, pumping/discharging chamber

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 CHAMBERS OF THE HEART

Atrium (court,hall)
- received blood from the veins
- separated by interatrial septum into right and left atrium
- each atrium has an appendage called an “auricle”
- the atria is separated from the ventricles by atrio-ventricular septum and guarded by a
valves that prevents the backflow of blood from ventricles to atria.

Features of the Atria:

Right atrium – larger than the left, received unoxygenated blood from the vena cava and
coronary sinus.

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 Consists of the following. structures:
a. Fossa ovale – an oval depression present only in the wall of right interatrial septum
b. Crista terminalis – small ridges of muscles, found only in right atrium
c. Pectinate muscles – projecting muscle bundles that parallel to one another which
gives the wall of the atria a rigid appearance.
Left atrium – received oxygenated blood from the pulmonary veins, consists of pectinate
Muscles

Ventricles
- the major pumping chamber of the heart
- eject blood into the arteries and force to flow into circulation
- separated by interventricular septum into right and left ventricles

Features of the Ventricles:

Right ventricle – ejects unoxygenated blood into pulmonary artery guarded by pulmonary valve
Left ventricle – ejects oxygenated blood into aorta and guarded by aortic valve, 3x more thicker
the right ventricle due to the pressure produced.

Internal features of the Ventricles:

Pappilary muscles/ muscular columns – a nipple or pimple like from which the chordae
tendinae are attached.
Trabeculae carnae – irregular folds of myocardium that forms ridges on the wall of the
ventricle.

Valves of the Heart: (Refer to the illustration below)

1. Atrio-ventricular valves
a. Tricuspid valve – between the right atrium and right ventricle, consists of 3 flaps
b. Bicuspid (mitral) valve – between the left atrium and left ventricle, consists of 2 flaps

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 2. Semilunar valves
a. Aortic valve – found in aorta
b. Pulmonary valve – found in pulmonary artery

Skeleton of the heart:

- consists of fibrous connective tissue rings that surrounds the heart valves

Route of blood flow through the heart:

Body – vena cava – right atrium – tricuspid valve – right ventricle – pulmonary valve –
pulmonary artery – lungs – pulmonary veins – left atrium – bicuspid valve – left ventricle – aortic
valve – aorta – body.

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Cardiac Cycle/ Complete Heart Beat:
- refers to the repetitive pumping process that begins with the onset of cardiac muscle
contraction and ends with the beginning of the next contraction.
- It consists of “systole and diastole” of both atria and ventricles
Systole – period of contraction
Diastole – period of relaxation

Heart Sounds:
1. lubb sound – the 1st sound, loud, and bit longer
- due to the closure of atrioventricular valves, soon after ventricular contraction begins.
2. dupp sound – the 2nd sound, weaker, and shorter
- due to the closure of Semilunar valves, at the beginning of atrial contraction.
3. murmurs – an abnormal sound resulted from incompetent (leaky) valves, or stenosed
(narrowed) valves.

B. Blood Vessels/Vascular system

Classifications:
1. Systemic vessels – transport blood to all parts of the body form left ventricle and back to
right atrium.
2. Pulmonary vessels – transport blood from right ventricle to the lungs and back to the left
atrium.
- both the systemic and pulmonary vessels constitutes the “peripheral circulation”.

Functions of Peripheral circulation

1. carry blood
2. exchange of nutrients, gases, and waste products
3. transport
4. regulate blood pressure
5. direct blood flow

Types of blood vessels:

1. Arteries – carry blood away from the heart
2. Veins – carry blood towards the heart
3. Capillaries – tiny links between the arteries and veins, where oxygen and nutrients
diffuse to body tissues, found among organs. Actual site of gas exchange takes place.

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Great Vessels of the Heart
1. Right Atrium 3. Right Ventricle
- Superior vena cava - Pulmonary trunk
- Inferior vena cava
4. Left Ventricle
2. Left Atrium - Aorta
- Pulmonary veins

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C. BLOOD
- Type of connective tissue that consists of cells and cell fragments surrounded by a liquid
matrix.
- The “essence of life”
- Total blood volume, male – 5-6L, female – 4-5L

Functions:(Blood)
1. transports of gases, nutrients, and waste products
2. transport of processed molecules
3. transport of regulatory molecules
4. regulation of pH(7.35-7.45) and osmosis
5. maintenance of body temperature
6. protection against foreign substances
7. clot formation
8. to maintain homeostasis

Components:
1. formed elements
- the cells and cell fragments
- constitutes 45% of total blood volume
2. Plasma
- the fluid portion, liquid matrix
- constitutes 55% of total blood volume

Plasma
- a pale yellow fluid that contains 91%water, 7%proteins, 2%other substances

plasma proteins
1. albumin (white egg) – constitutes 58% of plasma protein
2. globulins – constitutes 38% of plasma protein, forms part of the immune system
3. fibrinogen – constitutes 4% of plasma protein, responsible for blood clot

Formed Elements
-derived from a single population of cell – hemopoietic stem cell

1. RBC (erythrocytes)
- constitutes 95% of the total formed elements
- 700x more than WBC and 17x more than platelets
- a biconcave disc shaped, anucleated, with edges that are thicker than the center.
- contain the oxygen-carrying protein, hemoglobin (that gives the whole blood its red color)
- life span is 120 days in males and 110 days in females
- primary function is for the transport of gases
2. WBC (leukocytes)
- constitutes less than 1% of total blood volume
- larger than the RBC
- spherical in shaped and whitish in color due to lack of hemoglobin
- soldiers of the body: to protect the body against invading microorganisms; and to remove
dead cells and debris from the tissues by phagocytosis.

Classifications of WBC:

I. Granulocytes
A. Neutrophils
- most numerous type of WBC
- 1st line of defense, phagocytic in function
- Life span is 10-12 hrs
B. Basophils
- least common type
- release histamine and other chemicals that promote inflammation
- release heparin which prevents clot formation
C. Eosinophils
- in allergic reaction and parasitism
- release chemicals that reduce inflammation

II. Agranulocytes
A. Lymphocytes
- the smallest and 2nd most numerous type of WBC
- involved in body’s immune response
- involved in the production of antibodies, allergic reactions, rejects grafts,
control tumors and regulate the immune system.
 B. Monocytes
- the largest of the WBC
- ability to leave blood vessels and enter tissues to become “macrophages”
- phagocytic

3. Platelets (thrombocytes)
- minute fragments of cells from megakaryocytes
- plays an important role in preventing blood loss:
a. formation of ‘platelet plug’, which seal holes in small vessels
b. formation of ‘clots’, which seal off larger wounds in vessels

Blood Groupings:
Transfusion – transfer of blood or blood component from one individual to another
Infusion – introduction of a fluid other than blood (saline or glucose sol’n) into blood
Transfusion reaction – clumping of blood cells, rupture of blood cells

ABO blood group

1. type A – A antigens, anti-B antibodies from plasma
2. type B – B antigens, anti-A antibodies from plasma
3. type AB (universal recipient) – has no anti A or B antibody
4. type O (universal donor) – plasma has both anti - A and anti -B antibodies

RH blood group
- was 1st studied in the rhesus monkey
- Rh(+) blood has Rh antigens
- Rh (–) blood has no Rh antigens
- Antibodies against Rh antigens are produced when an Rh(–) person is exposed to Rh(+)
blood.
- Responsible for hemolytic disease of a newborn (erythroblastosis fetalis)

THE END

DR. ELOISA BELTRAN ABQUINA-MALLO