THE

CIRCULATORY
SYSTEM
The role of the heart, blood
and blood vessels
WHAT IS YOUR PULSE RATE?

To check your pulse, place the tips of your index and

middle finger on your wrist.

Feel your pulse and count the beats for one full minute.

Normal pulse rate

Adult - 60-100 beats per minute (bpm)
Where does this pulse come from?
 TODAY, YOU WILL...

Name and describe the Describe the role of the

main parts of the human heart, blood and blood
circulatory system. vessels.
 THE HUMAN
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

Function Main Parts

To transport blood, Has three main parts: the
oxygen and nutrients to heart, blood vessels and
the body blood
 2 SEPARATE CIRCUIT
Pulmonary Circuit
transports deoxygenated
blood from the heart to the
lungs, and is returned to the
heart as oxygenated blood. Systemic Circuit
transports oxygenated
blood from the heart to
the different parts of the
body. This blood then
returns to the heart as
deoxygenated blood.
 THE DOUBLE
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
This means that blood travels through the heart twice
in one circulation of the body.
 WHAT IS THE ROLE
OF THE HEART?
The heart is a pump and its role is to pump
blood around the body. The right side pumps
deoxygenated blood to the lungs. The left side
pumps oxygenated blood to the body.

The heart contains valves to prevent the

backflow of blood.
PARTS OF THE HEART

Vena cava Pulmonary vein

Right atrium Left atrium

Right ventricle Left ventricle

Pulmonary artery Aorta

 VALVES IN
THE HEART

Pulmonary valve Mitral valve

Aortic valve
Tricuspid valve
 BLOOD FLOW

1 - THE RIGHT SIDE

Deoxygenated blood passes through the vena
cava and into the right atrium.
 BLOOD FLOW

2 - THE RIGHT SIDE

Blood moves from the right atrium to the right
ventricle, passing through the tricuspid valve.
 BLOOD FLOW

3 - THE RIGHT SIDE

Blood is pumped from the right ventricle and
into the pulmonary artery through the
pulmonary valve. The pulmonary artery then
carries deoxygenated blood to the lungs.
 BLOOD FLOW

1 - THE LEFT SIDE

Oxygenated blood leaves the lungs via the
pulmonary vein, which pumps the blood into the
left atrium.
 BLOOD FLOW

2 - THE LEFT SIDE

The blood leaves the left atrium and passes
through the mitral valve into the left ventricle.
 BLOOD FLOW

3 - THE LEFT SIDE

The blood is pumped from the left ventricle,
through the aortic valve and into the aorta.
From the aorta, the blood is pumped around the
rest of the body.
Conduction System of the Heart
 Cardiac Conduction Pathway
Deoxygenated blood comes from the body into the right atrium
while oxygenated blood comes from the lungs into the left atrium.
The SA node receives an order from the autonomic nervous system
to create an excitation signal.
This excitation signal causes the muscle cells of both atria to
contract, squeezing the blood into the right and left ventricles.
The AV node delays the signal due to slower depolarization of its
cells and ensures that all the blood exits the atria and the ventricles
are full.
The electrical signal speeds up in the Bundle of His and shoots down
the center of the heart, splitting so that one branch goes to the
right ventricle and one goes to the left.
 Cardiac Conduction Pathway
The bundle branches split into a network of smaller branches
known as Purkinje fibers which spread out over the ventricles
and outer areas of the heart
The signal moves through the fibers quickly, beginning at the
bottom of the heart and moving upward.
The cardiac muscle (myocardial) cells receive this signal from
the fibers and initiate contraction of the ventricles.
The right ventricle pumps the deoxygenated blood to the
pulmonary arteries, which carry it to the lungs.
The left ventricle pumps oxygenated blood into the aorta,
which carries it to the rest of the body.
 LESSON CHECK:
THE HEART
Can you explain how blood flows
through the heart with a partner,
even without the diagram of the
heart?

Try explaining the process to your

peer without referring to your
notes.
SAMPLE ANSWER

LESSON CHECK:
THE HEART body Right Atrium Left Atrium
lungs

Can you explain how blood flows

through the heart with a partner,
even without the diagram of the Right Ventricle Left Ventricle
heart?

Shown is a sample diagram of how

blood flows through the heart. lungs body
 HEMATOPOIESIS
is the process that creates new blood
cells within the body. The prefix hema
refers to blood, and the suffix poiesis
means to produce something,
therefore hematopoiesis is the
process of the body producing blood.
TYPES OF HEMATOPOIESIS
1. Érythropoiesis
2. Leukopoiesis
Monocytes
Granulocytes
Lymphocytes
- Type B
- Type T
3. Thrombopoiesis
 BLOOD
It is a special fluid primarily
contained within the blood vessels.

It has four main components—red

blood cells, white blood cells,
platelets and plasma.
 BLOOD
Our blood has four main components:

Red Blood Cells Platelets

carry oxygen, gather at the site
nutrients and wastes of injury and help
the clotting process

White Blood Cells Plasma

fight diseases and straw-coloured

protect the body liquid where the
from infection other components
float in
 BLOOD
plasma

When someone has a blood test, a white blood cells

small amount of blood is taken and and platelets
kept in a tube for testing. red blood cells

To closely examine it, blood undergoes

component separation. One common
method involves spinning it at very high Blood is divided into its
speeds in a centrifuge. components, with the heaviest
parts at the bottom.
 BLOOD GROUPING
A positive/negative
B positive/negative
AB positive/negative
O positive/negative

The 'positive' or 'negative' indicates if the

patient has the D-antigen. The D-antigen is
part of the Rhesus system, Rh for short. If
the person is Rh-positive, it means the D-
antigen is present on their RBCs. If the person
is Rh-negative, it means the D-antigen is
absent on their RBCs.
 BLOOD VESSELS
These are tubes or channels that
carry blood throughout our body.

There are three types of blood

vessels—veins, arteries and
capillaries. Each one differs in size
and structure.
 BLOOD VESSELS
Let’s take a closer look at the three types of blood vessels:

It has the thickest wall of all three, allowing it to

Artery
withstand the high pressure created by the heart.

It has the thinnest wall to allow substances such as

Capillary oxygen and sugars to pass through its wall—into or
out of the blood.

It is less muscular and stretchy than an artery, so

Vein blood moves through it with low pressure. It also has a
special valve that helps blood go only one way.
 BLOOD VESSELS
Each type of blood vessel has a unique role in the circulatory system.

Artery Capillary Vein

Carries blood away Assists in the exchange Carries blood back
from the heart of substances between towards the heart
the blood and tissues

TIP Remember ‘A’ for ‘artery’ and ‘away’ from the heart!
 VARIOUS ARTERIES
IN THE BODY
Coronary arteries — supplies blood to the heart wall and are
the first arterioles branches arising from the aorta.
Carotid arteries — supplies blood to the brain
Renal arteries — supplies blood to the kidneys
Iliac arteries — supplies blood to the legs
Subclavian arteries — supplies blood to the region around
the shoulders.
Mesenteric artery — supplies blood to the intestines.

TIP Remember ‘A’ for ‘artery’ and ‘away’ from the heart!
 TWO TYPES OF VENA
CAVA
superior vena cava - arries deoxygenated blood from the
upper part of the body, including the brain, shoulders, and chest
area, back to the heart.

inferior vena cava - carries deoxygenated blood from the

lower parts of the body, including the limbs, back to the heart.

TIP Remember ‘A’ for ‘artery’ and ‘away’ from the heart!
 PROCESS OF CIRCULATION
Deoxygenated blood flows through these circulatory system parts in the
following order:
1. Vena cava
2. Right atrium
3. Tricuspid valve (Atrioventricular valve)
4. Right ventricle
5. Pulmonary artery
6. Pulmonary capillaries
7. Pulmonary veins
Then oxygenated blood flows through these parts in the following order:
1. Left atrium
2. Bicuspid valve (Atrioventricular valve)
3. Left ventricle
4. Aorta
5. Systemic circuit
 A RECAP
The circulatory system delivers oxygen and
nutrients to the body, while also removing wastes.

Heart Blood Blood Vessels

Muscular organ that has Has four components: Has three types: arteries,
four chambers plasma, red blood cell, white veins and capillaries
blood cell and platelets
Pumps blood around the Serve as channels for the
body Carries oxygen, nutrients and blood
wastes
 REFERENCE:
Cinnamon VanPutte, J. R. (2019).
Seely's Essentials of Anatomy
& Physiology Tenth Edition.
New York City: McGraw hill
Education.