Facts About the Circulatory System

The circulatory system is the body's way of bringing oxygen and nutrients to cells. The circulatory system delivers nutrients and oxygen to cells through the blood. The metabolic waste from cellular respiration (creation of energy) and byproducts of protein synthesis are then deposited into the blood where kidneys are responsible for excretion. The circulatory system also involves the heart muscle, which pumps the blood through the body.

Pulmonary Circulation

The pulmonary part of the circulatory system is the process in which deoxygenated blood is pumped to the heart and sent to the lungs. The blood is sent to the lungs through the pulmonary vein, which is a large vessel on the top of the human heart. Once red blood cells pick up oxygen from the lungs, the blood is sent back to the heart where it's pumped into arteries and down to tissue.

Coronary Circulation

The heart is responsible for the blood that circulates throughout the body, but its tissue cells need oxygen and nutrients, too. Coronary circulation is the process where blood is sent to and from the coronary vessels. These vessels surround the heart's tissue and bring it the nutrients for metabolism. Coronary vessels are the arteries involved in heart disease, which blocks blood to the heart's tissue and causes a heart attack.

Systemic

Systemic circulation is the process most widely known, since it is the process that brings blood to all the organs. Systemic circulation starts at the heart where arteries carry the blood to body tissue. Oxygen is delivered to the cells and metabolic waste is returned to the blood. The deoxygenated blood travels through the veins where the process is repeated.

Heart

The heart is the organ that makes the circulatory system function. The heart is a large muscle with two ventricles and two atria. Blood enters the atria where it is then pumped into the ventricle. The ventricles of the heart contract, causing the blood to squeeze into the arteries. The pressure from the heart also pushes the blood throughout the body even when it's traveling up and against gravity.

Red Blood Cells

The red blood cells are oxygen carriers of the blood. These tiny, round objects bond with oxygen in the lungs. Red blood cells do not have a strong bond with oxygen, which is why the molecules are delivered and released to the tissue so readily.

References

• fi.edu