G9 Lesson 1

HEART,
BLOOD,
AND
VESSELS
Understanding the Cardio
Vascular System
 The cardio vascular system is composed of three main sections:

A. A pumping organ called the Heart

Lesson 1
B. Transport organs called Blood Vessels

Objectives C. Transport connective tissues called Blood

Yes, the blood is a connective tissue and it is an important factor in

the workings of the cardiovascular system.
• Determine the reason behind
having and not having transport
You have to understand that a complex transport system like ours
systems
are not usually present in other organisms. For example, a pond
• Identify the parts and describe the water Stentor might not have the same transport system as
functions of the components of humans. It will have to rely upon the diffusion of oxygen from its
the cardiovascular system moist environment directly into its cytoplasm. The distance from

• Trace the pathway of blood along the outer region of its cell towards the center is very minimal thus,
the cardiovascular system oxygen can easily be transported. Large and multicellular
organisms cannot rely upon diffusion from the surface to support
• Know the various diseases
their oxygen need. Transport systems, therefore, are offshoot of the
associated with the cardiovascular
organism’s surface to volume ratio such that:

• Large bodies need a complex system to deliver oxygen

• Larger bodies tend to have greater distance between the

surface and the center of the body. Lastly,

• Multicellular large bodies must supply oxygen to each cell.

 To illustrate more on the issue of variety of transport

systems, think of an organism as a cube. Imagine as well
that the organisms body grows from a small cube that has
sides of 1 mm into a larger one with sides of 10 mm.

Length of Side Volume Surface Area Surface are:

(Mm) (mm3) (mm2) Volume ratio

1 1 6 6:1

5 125 150 1.2:1

10 1000 600 0.6:1

In most cases, when an organism grows, its volume

increases more than it surface area. Thus, a large
organism has less surface area for each mm3 of body
than a small one. There will be less space for the uptake
of oxygen and the removal of carbon dioxide by diffusion.
To compensate, may organisms have special surfaces for
gas exchange such as gills and lungs.

Diffusion is only effective over short distance. To make

sure that oxygen reaches all the cells deep within the body
of a multicellular organism, a special transport mechanism
must be made. In mammals, it requires an extensive
network of blood vessels that transports the oxygen
carrier (blood) from the lungs, to the heart, and to the cells
of the body.

 Transport Circuits
Blood Vessel How its structure is related to its function

Artery carrier blood from the 1. The walls are thick and strong to withstand high
heart towards the body. amount of blood pressure.
2. There are elastic bers that stretches when the heart
The human cardiovascular system is a mass ow system pumps blood into the artery.
3. The elastic bers recoil to push blood on its way to
because the blood ows in the same direction through the the capillaries.
4. Muscles in smaller arteries control its diameter to
system of vessels. It is also a closed blood system because alter blood ow.
5. Arteries aid in the blood ow by changing the
the blood is enclosed in the vessels for the whole duration pressure within its lumen.

of its journey. Aside from that, mammals have double Capillary increases the 1. Capillary walls are made of one layer of squamous
surface area for the cells to aid in diffusion.
circulation. distribution of nutrients and 2. There are tiny holes in the endothelial cells that allows
the collection of wastes. water and some solutes to leave the blood.
3. Capillaries are very small that a small space may have
1. Pulmonary circuit is where the blood ows in many capillaries that creates a large surface area for
diffusion.
between the heart the the lungs. Veins carries blood from the 1. The walls of a vein is thin because the blood pressure
body towards the heart. is low.
2. The walls may distend or stretch to accommodate
2. Systemic circuit is where the blood ows from the large volumes of blood.
heart towards the rest of the body and back. 3. Veins have semilunar valve

Whenever the heart pumps blood, it provides pressure

that forces the blood to move within the vessels. The
heart exerts considerable amount of pressure because it is
very dif cult to push blood towards the vessels.

The pressure that the heart produces is strong enough to

counter the effect of the earth’s gravity. To compensate for
the shear amount of pressure, blood vessels become
adapted to the various pressure levels within the
circulatory system.

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 The Heart
the lungs it moves through the
pulmonary vein towards the left atrium
and into the left ventricle where the
The heart is a natural machine and a strong one to boot.
oxygenated blood is forcibly pushed
You often heart it through the stethoscope beating “Lub-
towards the aorta and back to the body.
dup” in a rhythmic manner. This noise is the sound of the
valves closing during a heart beat. One beat of the heart The heart has two pumps working in
can pump blood to through the pulmonary and systemic series - right side pumps deoxygenated
circuits. blood to the lungs at a blood pressure of
24 mmHG and the left side pumps blood to the aorta with
The movement of the blood within the heart can be
a blood pressure of 120 mmHg. The ow of the blood in
described in a sequence. From the body, the
the heart is intermittent as it pushed blood out into the
deoxygenated blood drains through the vena cava into
arteries and re lls with blood from the veins.
the right atrium, then into the right ventricle and into the
pulmonary artery towards the lungs to get oxygen, from Looking at the hearts cross section, you might notice that
the left ventricle is thicker than the right. Left ventricle
contracts to force blood out into the Aorta at high
pressures. The systemic circuit is more resistant to blood
ow, thus the need for the left ventricle to pump more
forcibly.

The right ventricle does not need this muscle advantage

because it delivers blood to a more spongy and more
sensitive lungs. The light change in pressure allows
ef cient blood movement for maximum exchange of gases
in the alveoli.
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 Blood, Tissue Fluids,

Cell Relationship between structure and function

Red blood cell • Biconcave shape gives large surface area for
diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide
• No organelles, only a cytoplasm full of

and Lymph
hemoglobin
• Elastic membrane allows cells to change
shape as t squeezes through capillaries

Phagocytes (a white blood cell) • Undergoes phagocytosis where bacteria and

The third important component of the cardio vascular foreign bodies are engulfed and digested.
• They have lobed nucleus to help them
system is the connective tissue called blood. It is an squeeze in capillaries.
essential part because it mainly carries oxygen and waste Lymphocytes (a white blood cell) • Some lymphocytes develop into a plasma
cells that have large quantity of rough
to and from the lungs. It also carries nutrients, hormones, endoplasmic reticulum for fast production of
antibodies.
and other chemicals needed for the proper functioning of
the body. It is mainly composed of the blood, the tissue
uids, and the lymph.

A. The blood is a suspension of red and white cells as

well as platelets in plasma.

B. Tissue uid is a colorless uid formed from blood There are various types of white blood cells or leukocytes
plasma by pressure ltration through the capillary and each one protects you against diseases caused by
walls. It surrounds the cells of the body and is the bacteria, viruses, and other foreign entities.
main are for exchange of materials.
Your body also helps you get immune to certain viruses
C. Lymph is a tissue uid that is drained into the and bacteria by allowing white blood cells to remember
lymphatic vessels and passes through lymph nodes and produce antibodies for it. This is the main reason
where it gains white blood cells and antibodies. behind vaccination where we use weakened viruses to let
Lymphatic vessels absorb hormones and fats in some our body create antibodies against it, thereby making us
areas of the body. immune.
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Cardiovascular
heart. When the heart’s coronary vessels is lled with
plaque, it deprives the heart muscles of oxygen leading to
CHD. People with chest pains when exercising might be

disease
Most often, cardiovascular diseases are often caused by
experiencing a form of CHD called angina. If not treated, it
might lead to the full blockage of the coronary vessels
which results to a heart attack.
the changes that occur in the walls of the heart and the
blood vessels. When these changes occur in the blood If plaque forms in the arteries of the brain, brain cells may

vessel that supply blood to the heart (coronary vessels), die and some areas in the brain may cease to function. This

they are called Coronary Heart Diseases (CHD). When leads to Stroke. Stroke may not be lethal, but it may impair

they occur in the arteries of the brain they can cause stroke. a person for the rest of their life.

CHD and stroke are often caused by two events:

1. There is a build up of fatty material known as plaque

inside the wall of the arteries.

2. There is a blood clotting that occurs.

Atherosclerosis is the progressive build-up of plaque.

Plaques often enlarge the artery walls leading to less space
for blood to ow. It also makes the walls rough and
increases the formation of blood clots.

If the arteries become lled with plaque, some of the cells

in major organs may be deprived of oxygen. This is most
risky when it happens to the nourishing vessels of the
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