The Cardiovascular System

By Abby Bush and Josie Bernstein

What is the Cardiovascular System?

- It is a closed circulatory system, which has only blood vessels

- It consists of: the heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries

- Responsible for transport

The Heart

- consists of 4 chambers- the chambers are separated by a wall of muscle called a septum- the left ventricle is the largest and strongest of the chambers (it

pushes the blood through the aortic valve and into the body)- consists of 4 valves:

- the tricuspid- the pulmonary - the mitral - the aortic

What do the parts of a heart look

like?

The Arteries

- Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart.- In pulmonary systems, the roles are opposite.- In the diagram to the right, the red veins carry oxygen-rich

blood away from the heart and the blue veins are carryingoxygen poor blood to the lungs.

- Three layers of tissue: Tunica intima, Tunica media, andTunica adventitia

The Capillaries

- branch off from arterioles- venules take blood from the capillaries- red blood cells in the capillaries release their

oxygen which goes into the surrounding tissue- in exchange, the tissue releases its waste, most

often carbon dioxide (CO2)

Veins

- Similar to arteries except they’re less powerful due to the transportation of blood being at a lower pressure.

- Three layers: an outer layer of tissue, muscle in the middle, and a smooth inner layer of epithelial cells.

- Veins receive oxygen from the Capillaries. - Vein valves are necessary to blood movement

Blood’s Composition

- Plasma, Erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets

How does the cardiovascular system

maintain homeostasis?

- The simple clear way that the cardiovascular system maintains homeostasis is simply the heart beating continuously to maintain a the flow of blood.

- Heat causes the capillaries to dilate.- The “fight-or-flight” response is also possible because of the

Cardiovascular system.

- Blood clotting is regulated through hemostasis:- as blood accumulates around a vessel, a hematoma presses against

the vessel to stop the bleeding- platelets then come together and form a glue-like substance,

creating a clot- Blood pressure is regulated through the management of cardiac output

and the adjustment of blood vessel diameter

Cardiovascular Diseases

- Hypertension: high-blood pressure - Atherosclerosis: build-up of soft masses beneath the inner lining

of the arteries (cholesterol) - Stroke: A lack of oxygen causes a portion of the brain to die

because of a blockage.- Heart Attack: Oxygen is unable to get to the heart

Images of Cardiovascular Diseases

Atherosclerosis StrokeHeart Attack

Hypertension

Hypertension continued

- Diastolic pressure: measures the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart rests

- Systolic pressure: measures the pressure in your blood vessel when your heart beats

Problems with Hypertension

What is classified as high blood pressure?

- Under age 45 a reading above 130/90 is hypertensive

- Beyond age 45 a reading above 140/95 is hypertensive.

- While both systolic and diastolic pressures

are important, diastolic pressure is what is

emphasized when medical treatment is

being considered.

Treatment for Hypertension

- Mild hypertension can be treated with simple changes in lifestyle like eating and working out

- Stage 1 hypertension can be treated with thiazide diuretics

- Stage 2 hypertension can be treated with a combination of both thiazide diuretics and an ACE inhibitor, an angiotensin receptor blocker, or a calcium channel blocker

Works Cited

Works Cited"Anatomy of the Cardiovascular System - Texas Heart Institute Heart Information Center." Anatomy of the Cardiovascular System - Texas Heart Institute Heart Information Center. 2015. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://www.texasheart.org/HIC/Anatomy/>."Blood Vessels." : Capillaries. The Franklin Institute. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://learn.fi.edu/learn/heart/vessels/capillaries.html>.Mader, Sylvia S. Biology. 10th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2008. Print.