What Is the Cardiovascular System?

4417 Words18 Pages
What is the Cardiovascular System? Also known as the Circulatory System, your heart, blood vessels and blood itself are three essential components the body needs to survive. The Circulatory System consists of two circuits that blood travels through which are called Pulmonary and Systemic. Exercise affects these systems, causing the heart to pump blood faster around the body. There are three components which make up the Cardiovascular System. These are the heart, blood vessels and blood. The heart consists of four chambers: the right and left atrium and the right and left ventricle. The top chambers are connected to the bottom chambers by valves and are separated by the coronary sulcus. The left and right side of the heart are separated by the posterior interventricular sulcus. The right side of your heart receives blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs. The left side of the heart does the exact opposite and receives blood from the lungs and pumps it out to the body. The Cardiovascular System works with the body’s Circulatory System and is responsible for distributing blood and nutrients throughout the body to maintain homeostasis. It then helps to pump blood around the body, to supply tissues with oxygen and nutrients and to transport waste products away from the tissues. The blood vessels of three different types which are the capillaries, veins and arteries. The Arteries: * Carry blood away from the heart (always oxygenated apart from the pulmonary artery which goes to the lungs) * Have thick muscular walls * Have small passageways for blood (internal lumen) * Contain blood under high pressure The Veins: * Carry blood to the heart (always de-oxygenated apart from the pulmonary vein which goes from the lungs to the heart) * Have thin walls * Have larger internal lumen * Contain blood under low pressure * Have
Open Document