Cardiovascular System: Lecture Notes
Introduction
- Cardiovascular: Relates to heart and blood vessels
- 'Cardio' = Heart
- 'Vascular' = Vessels
- Components: Heart, blood vessels, blood
Main Functions
- Transport blood gases and nutrients
- Collect waste materials
- Maintain body temperature
Characteristics
- Closed System: Blood is confined to vessels, separate from interstitial fluid
Blood Flow Process
- Heart pumps blood into large vessels → branch into smaller ones → lead to organs
- Nutrient and waste exchange by diffusion between blood and interstitial fluid
Circulatory Loops
- Systemic Loop:
- Oxygenated blood from heart to tissues/organs
- Deoxygenated blood back to heart
- Pulmonary Loop:
- Deoxygenated blood from heart to lungs
- Oxygenated blood back to heart
- Both loops start and end at the heart, carrying opposite types of blood
Heart Anatomy and Blood Flow
- Orientation: Heart diagram is like viewing someone else's heart (left/right side swapped)
Chambers and Flow
- Receiving Chambers:
- Right Atrium: Receives deoxygenated blood via superior and inferior vena cava
- Left Atrium: Receives oxygenated blood from pulmonary veins
- Pumping Chambers:
- Right Ventricle: Pumps deoxygenated blood to lungs via pulmonary artery
- Left Ventricle: Pumps oxygenated blood to body via aorta
Valves
- Tricuspid Valve: Between right atrium and right ventricle
- Pulmonary Semi-Lunar Valve: From right ventricle to pulmonary artery
- Bicuspid/Mitral Valve: Between left atrium and left ventricle
- Aortic Semi-Lunar Valve: From left ventricle to aorta
The Aorta and Arteries
- Aorta: Major artery leaving the heart
- Aortic Arch: Bends around the heart, branches into coronary arteries
- Additional branches supply head, neck, arms, and upper body
- Descending Aorta: Supplies lower body
Comparison with Other Animals
- Amphibians: Three-chambered heart, mixed blood
- Turtles: Three-chambered heart with partial septum, reduced mixing
- Birds and Mammals: Four-chambered heart, complete septum, no mixing of blood
- Guarantees separation between oxygenated and deoxygenated blood
Diagram Instructions
- Tape provided heart diagram into lab notebook
- Label the diagram appropriately
These notes provide a foundational understanding of the cardiovascular system, focusing on the function and structure of the heart and the circulatory loops.