Cardiovascular System

The cardiovascular system can be thought of as the transport system of the body. This system
has three main components: the heart, the blood vessel and the blood itself. The heart is the
system’s pump and the blood vessels are like the delivery routes. Blood can be thought of as a
fluid which contains the oxygen and nutrients the body needs and carries the wastes which
need to be removed. The following information describes the structure and function of the heart
and the cardiovascular system as a whole.

Structure and Function of the Heart

Function and Location of the Heart

The heart’s job is to pump blood around the body. The heart is located in between the two
lungs. It lies left of the middle of the chest.

Structure of the Heart

The heart is a muscle about the size of a fist, and is roughly cone-shaped. It is about 12cm
long, 9cm across the broadest point and about 6cm thick. The pericardium is a fibrous covering
which wraps around the whole heart. It holds the heart in place but allows it to move as it
beats. The wall of the heart itself is made up of a special type of muscle called cardiac muscle.

Chambers of the Heart

The heart has two sides, the right side and the left side. The heart has four chambers. The left
and right side each have two chambers, a top chamber and a bottom chamber. The two top
chambers are known as the left and right atria (singular: atrium). The atria receive blood from
different sources. The left atrium receives blood from the lungs and the right atrium receives
blood from the rest of the body. The bottom two chambers are known as the left and right
ventricles. The ventricles pump blood out to different parts of the body. The right ventricle
pumps blood to the lungs while the left ventricle pumps out blood to the rest of the body. The
ventricles have much thicker walls than the atria which allows them to perform more work by
pumping out blood to the whole body.

Blood Vessels

Blood Vessel are tubes which carry blood. Veins are blood vessels which carry blood from the
body back to the heart. Arteries are blood vessels which carry blood from the heart to the body.
There are also microscopic blood vessels which connect arteries and veins together
called capillaries. There are a few main blood vessels which connect to different chambers of
the heart. The aorta is the largest artery in our body. The left ventricle pumps blood into the
aorta which then carries it to the rest of the body through smaller arteries. The pulmonary
trunk is the large artery which the right ventricle pumps into. It splits into pulmonary
arteries which take the blood to the lungs. The pulmonary veins take blood from the lungs to
the left atrium. All the other veins in our body drain into the inferior vena cava (IVC) or
the superior vena cava (SVC). These two large veins then take the blood from the rest of the
body into the right atrium.

Valves

Valves are fibrous flaps of tissue found between the heart chambers and in the blood vessels.
They are rather like gates which prevent blood from flowing in the wrong direction. They are
found in a number of places. Valves between the atria and ventricles are known as the right
and left atrioventricular valves, otherwise known as the tricuspid and mitral valves respectively.
Valves between the ventricles and the great arteries are known as the semilunar valves.
The aortic valve is found at the base of the aorta, while the pulmonary valve is found the base
of the pulmonary trunk. There are also many valves found in veins throughout the body.
However, there are no valves found in any of the other arteries besides the aorta and
pulmonary trunk.

What is the Cardiovascular System?

The cardiovascular system refers to the heart, blood vessels and the blood. Blood contains
oxygen and other nutrients which your body needs to survive. The body takes these essential
nutrients from the blood. At the same time, the body dumps waste products like carbon dioxide,
back into the blood, so they can be removed. The main function of the cardiovascular system is
therefore to maintain blood flow to all parts of the body, to allow it to survive. Veins deliver
used blood from the body back to the heart. Blood in the veins is low in oxygen (as it has been
taken out by the body) and high in carbon dioxide (as the body has unloaded it back into the
blood). All the veins drain into the superior and inferior vena cava which then drain into the
right atrium. The right atrium pumps blood into the right ventricle. Then the right ventricle
pumps blood to the pulmonary trunk, through the pulmonary arteries and into the lungs. In the
lungs the blood picks up oxygen that we breathe in and gets rid of carbon dioxide, which we
breathe out. The blood is becomes rich in oxygen which the body can use. From the lungs,
blood drains into the left atrium and is then pumped into the left ventricle. The left ventricle
then pumps this oxygen-rich blood out into the aorta which then distributes it to the rest of the
body through other arteries. The main arteries which branch off the aorta and take blood to
specific parts of the body are:

Carotid arteries, which take blood to the neck and head

Coronary arteries, which provide blood supply to the heart itself

Hepatic artery, which takes blood to the liver with branches going to the stomach

Mesenteric artery, which takes blood to the intestines

Renal arteries, which takes blood to the kidneys

Femoral arteries, which take blood to the legs

The body is then able to use the oxygen in the blood to carry out its normal functions. This
blood will again return back to the heart through the veins and the cycle continues.
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What is the Cardiac Cycle?

The cardiac cycle is the sequence of events that occurs in one complete beat of the heart. The
pumping phase of the cycle, also known as systole, occurs when heart muscle contracts. The
filling phase, which is known as diastole, occurs when heart muscle relaxes. At the beginning of
the cardiac cycle, both atria and ventricles are in diastole. During this time, all the chambers of
the heart are relaxed and receive blood. The atrioventricular valves are open. Atrial
systole follows this phase. During atrial systole, the left and right atria contract at the same
time and push blood into the left and right ventricles, respectively. The next phase is ventricular
systole. During ventricular systole, the left and right ventricles contract at the same time and
pump blood into the aorta and pulmonary trunk, respectively. In ventricular systole, the atria
are relaxed and receive blood. The atrioventricular valves close immediately after ventricular
systole begins to stop blood going back into the atria. However, the semilunar valves are open
during this phase to allow the blood to flow into the aorta and pulmonary trunk. Following this
phase, the ventricles relax that is ventricular diastole occurs. The semilunar valves close to
stop the blood from flowing back into the ventricles from the aorta and pulmonary trunk. The
atria and ventricles once again are in diastole together and the cycle begins again.

Components of the Heartbeat

The adult heart beats around 70 to 80 times a minute at rest. When you listen to your heart
with a stethoscope you can hear your heart beat. The sound is usually described as “lubb-
dupp”. The “lubb” also known as the first heart sound, is caused by the closure of the
atrioventricular valves. The “dupp” sound is due to the closure of the semilunar valves when the
ventricles relax (at the beginning of ventricular diastole). Abnormal heart sounds are known
as murmurs. Murmurs may indicate a problem with the heart valves, but many types of murmur
are no cause for concern. (For more information see: (see Valvular Heart Disease)

The Electrocardiogram

The heart has an inbuilt rhythm of contraction and relaxation. A small group of heart muscle
cells called the pacemaker help achieve this. The pacemaker generates an electrical impulse
which spreads over the atria, making them contract. This impulse then spreads to the
ventricles, causing them to contract. The electrical changes that spread through the heart can
be detected at the surface of the body by an instrument called the electrocardiograph.
Electrodes are placed in a number of positions over the chest and the electrical changes are
recorded on moving graph paper as an electrocardiogram (ECG).

Effects of Aging on the Heart in Men and Women

As a part of the normal aging process a number of changes occur to the cardiovascular system.

Our heart rate slows down because the time between heartbeats increases as we age. This is
one of the main reasons why the heart is unable to pump out more blood during exercise when
we become old.

The amount of blood the heart pumps each minute can change as we age. It decreases slightly
in older women. However, it does not change in healthy older men who have no heart disease.
The reason for the difference between the sexes is not fully understood.

As we age, our blood pressure falls much more on standing from the sitting position compared
to when we are younger. This phenomenon is known as postural hypotension.
 Teacher’s Insight….

The cardiovascular system can be thought of as the transport system of the body.

This system has three main components: the heart, the blood vessel and the blood
itself. The heart is the system’s pump and the blood vessels are like the delivery
routes. Blood can be thought of as a fluid which contains the oxygen and nutrients
the body needs and carries the wastes which need to be removed. The following
information describes the structure and function of the heart and the
cardiovascular system as a whole.

Self-assessment

INSTRUCTION : Answer the following questions in your activity notebook.

1. What are the three main parts of the Cardiovascular System ?

2. How many chambers make up the heart?

3. What are the chambers on top of the heart?

4. What are the chambers on the bottom of the heart?

5. What is the job of blood?

6. What 4 parts make up the blood? Explain the function of each.

7. What vessel carries blood AWAY from the heart?

8. What vessel carries blood TO the heart?

9. What vessel connects arteries to veins?

10. List 4 ways to keep your CV system healthy.

Activity 1 : Diseases of Cardiovascular system

In your own words define the following.

1. Atherosclerosis –

2. Coronary Artery Disease -

3. Congestive Heart Failure –

4. Stroke -

Direction : Label the parts of the Heart..

From the diagram, list in order the pathway of blood through the heart.

1. _________________________________________

2. __________________________________________

3. __________________________________________

4. __________________________________________
5. __________________________________________

6. __________________________________________

7. __________________________________________

8. __________________________________________

9. __________________________________________

10. _________________________________________

11. __________________________________________

12. Circle all of the above terms in which OXYGEN IS PRESENT.

Define the following words.

1. Septum –

2. Hemoglobin –

3. Coronary Arteries –

4. Heart Attack –

5. Superior/Inferior –

6. Cardiac Muscle –

7. Stroke Volume –

8. Resting Heart Rate –