BEAM CYLD GD online Lesson3 - Circulatory system

Saya Alan: 063 172 6263 [email protected] Lesson ID: 615 032 8652

The Circulatory System

1. Is the heart an organ or tissue? What is its function?

2. What is the path the blood takes as it enters the heart and leaves it?

3. Given a diagram, label the parts of the human heart

4. What is the function of valves in the heart?

5. What is the Difference between Arteries, Veins & Capillaries?

6. What are the possible causes of coronary heart disease?

7. What are the four main components of blood, and what do they do?

8. What adaptations do Red blood cells have, to make them suitable for their
job?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9ONXd_-anM (3:38 min)

The heart

The heart is a muscular organ. Its function is to pump blood. The cardiac muscle of the
heart contracts to pump the blood from the atria into the ventricles and from the
ventricles into the arteries. The cardiac muscle of the heart requires energy from
respiration to continue to contract, and is supplied with the glucose and oxygen required
by coronary arteries.

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 BEAM CYLD GD online Lesson3 - Circulatory system
Saya Alan: 063 172 6263 [email protected] Lesson ID: 615 032 8652

The right side pumps blood through the pulmonary circuit (to the lungs), blood then
returns to the left side which pumps blood through the systemic circuit (body).

Two separate pumps

In general, blood flows into one side of the heart from a vein, goes into an atrium,
then a ventricle, and out through an artery.

The blood on the right side of the heart is deoxygenated. It has been around the body
and supplied the cells with oxygen carried by the red blood cells. It is now depleted of
oxygen and enters the heart through the main vein, the vena cava, into the right
atrium.

The right atrium contracts and pushes the blood into the right ventricle which in turn
contracts, pushing the blood out of the pulmonary artery to the lungs to become
oxygenated.

Blood now returns to the left side of the heart through the pulmonary vein. It enters
the left atrium which contracts to push the blood into the left ventricle. The left
ventricle has a thick muscular wall to provide sufficient pressure to pump the
oxygenated blood to the furthest areas of the body.

Blood leaves the heart through the main artery, the aorta.

The heart contains valves to prevent the blood flowing backwards:

• the right side has a tricuspid valve (a valve with three flaps)

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 BEAM CYLD GD online Lesson3 - Circulatory system
Saya Alan: 063 172 6263 [email protected] Lesson ID: 615 032 8652

• the left side has a bicuspid valve (a valve with two flaps)
Both sides have semilunar valves – at the entrances to the pulmonary artery and
aorta.

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BEAM CYLD GD online Lesson3 - Circulatory system
Saya Alan: 063 172 6263 [email protected] Lesson ID: 615 032 8652

The aortic and pulmonic valves are known as the semilunar valves (They are shaped
like a half moon, hence the name semilunar), whereas the tricuspid and mitral valves
are referred to as the atrioventricular valves. All the valves are trileaflet, with the
exception of the mitral valve (bicuspid valve), which has 2 leaflets

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 BEAM CYLD GD online Lesson3 - Circulatory system
Saya Alan: 063 172 6263 [email protected] Lesson ID: 615 032 8652

Blood vessels (Arteries, Veins & Capillaries)

Arteries

• Carry blood away from the heart (always oxygenated apart from the pulmonary
artery which goes from the heart to the lungs).
• Have thick elastic and muscular walls.
• Have small passageways for blood (internal lumen).
• Contain blood under high pressure.

Veins

• Carry blood to the heart (always deoxygenated apart from the pulmonary
vein which goes from the lungs to the heart).
• Have thin, less muscular walls.
• Have larger passageways for blood (internal lumen).
• Contain blood under low pressure.
• Have valves to prevent blood flowing backwards.

Capillaries

• Found near every living cell of the body.

• Microscopic – walls are one cell thick, this allows for the diffusion of substances
into the cells from the capillaries and out of the cells into the capillaries.
• Very low blood pressure.

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BEAM CYLD GD online Lesson3 - Circulatory system
Saya Alan: 063 172 6263 [email protected] Lesson ID: 615 032 8652

Artery Vein Capillary

Type of blood Oxygenated Deoxygenated Both

Direction Away from the heart Towards the heart From arteries to veins

Pressure High Low Low

Size of hole (lumen) Small Large Very small

Wall thickness Thick Thin One cell thick

Valves No Yes No

Coronary heart disease

The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle. These may become blocked by
a build-up of fatty plaques containing cholesterol, resulting in coronary heart disease.

If a coronary artery is blocked, the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is cut off.
That part of the heart cannot continue to contract, causing a heart attack.

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 BEAM CYLD GD online Lesson3 - Circulatory system
Saya Alan: 063 172 6263 [email protected] Lesson ID: 615 032 8652

Possible causes of coronary heart disease

These include:

• poor diet – eating more saturated fat tends to increase cholesterol levels
• stress and smoking – increases blood pressure
• salt – eating too much causes high blood pressure
• lack of exercise
• genetic factors

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BEAM CYLD GD online Lesson3 - Circulatory system
Saya Alan: 063 172 6263 [email protected] Lesson ID: 615 032 8652

There is no one perfect cure for cardiovascular disease.

There are many different treatments which have both advantages and disadvantages.

Angioplasty is a procedure to restore blood flow through the artery. You

have angioplasty in a hospital. The doctor threads a thin tube through a blood vessel in
the arm or groin up to the involved site in the artery. The tube has a tiny balloon on the
end.

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a type of surgery that improves blood flow
to the heart. Surgeons use CABG (heart bypass or bypass surgery) to treat people who
have severe coronary heart disease (CHD). CHD is a disease in which a waxy
substance called plaque (pronounced “plak”) builds up inside the coronary arteries.
This procedure restores blood flow to your heart muscle by diverting the flow of blood
around a section of a blocked artery in your heart.

Your surgeon uses a blood vessel from your leg, arm or chest to bypass a
narrowed artery.

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 BEAM CYLD GD online Lesson3 - Circulatory system
Saya Alan: 063 172 6263 [email protected] Lesson ID: 615 032 8652

Treatment Description Advantages Disadvantages

A daily medication to
Drugs reduce blood
Statins control blood cholesterol May cause side effects
cholesterol levels
levels

Surgery to insert a small

Improved blood flow
balloon into a blood
in coronary vessels Sometimes only a
Angioplasty vessel which is then
preventing heart temporary measure
inflated to remove a
attack
blockage

Reduces risk of
A high level of
Lifestyle Diet and exercise, heart disease and
willpower is required to
changes stopping smoking etc. reduces blood
maintain the changes
pressure

Blood cells

The circulatory system consists of:

• blood
• a pump (the heart) to push the blood around the body
• a system of tubes to contain the blood (arteries, veins and capillaries)
The blood is the transport medium – it carries substances to all cells in the body and
removes waste. It consists of four main components:

• red blood cells

• white blood cells
• platelets
• plasma

Red blood cells (abbreviated as RBCs)

Red blood cells transport oxygen. They absorb oxygen from the lungs and transport it
through narrow blood vessels. The oxygen is released to the cells in the body which use
it for aerobic respiration.

Red blood cells have adaptations that make them suitable for this:

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 BEAM CYLD GD online Lesson3 - Circulatory system
Saya Alan: 063 172 6263 [email protected] Lesson ID: 615 032 8652

• they contain haemoglobin – a red protein that combines with oxygen

• they have no nucleus so they can contain more haemoglobin
• they are small and flexible so that they can fit through narrow blood vessels
• they have a biconcave shape (flattened disc shape) to maximise their surface
area for oxygen absorption.

White blood cells

White blood cells defend the body against disease. The majority of the white blood cells
are a type of cell called phagocytes. The phagocytes ingest and
destroy pathogens such as bacteria.

White blood cells (also called leukocytes or leucocytes and abbreviated as WBCs)
are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both
infectious disease and foreign invaders. ... Leukocytes are found throughout the body,
including the blood and lymphatic system.

This is what happens:

• the phagocyte engulfs the bacterial cell

• the bacterial cell is broken down by enzymes inside the phagocyte
The process of ingesting the pathogen is called phagocytosis.

Phagocytes pass through blood vessel walls into the surrounding tissue

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 BEAM CYLD GD online Lesson3 - Circulatory system
Saya Alan: 063 172 6263 [email protected] Lesson ID: 615 032 8652

Cell Defence: Lymphocytes and Phagocytes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGKsGEByr0w (4:45 min)

Blood clotting

If the skin is cut, the wound must be closed to prevent blood loss and the entry
of pathogens. The formation of a scab does just that.

Blood contains tiny fragments of cells called platelets. These platelets are involved in
blood clotting and scab forming.

Forming a scab

When skin is wounded, platelets are able to:

• release chemicals that cause soluble proteins to form a mesh of insoluble fibers
across the wound
• stick together to form clumps that get stuck in the mesh
Red blood cells also get stuck in the mesh, forming a clot. This develops into a scab,
which protects the wound as it heals.

Plasma

Plasma is a straw–colored liquid that makes up just over half the volume of blood. The
plasma has many functions:

• transports carbon dioxide from respiring cells to the lungs

• transports digested food from the small intestine to respiring cells
• transports urea from the liver to the kidneys for excretion
• distributes heat all around the body
• transports hormones from the glands where they are made to the target organs

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BEAM CYLD GD online Lesson3 - Circulatory system
Saya Alan: 063 172 6263 [email protected] Lesson ID: 615 032 8652

TEST https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/z86q2p3/test
1 Which part of the blood is responsible for transporting oxygen around the
body?
A. White blood cells
B. Plasma
C. Red blood cells
2 Which of these is an adaptation of red blood cells to carry oxygen?
A. Biconcave shape for a large surface area
B. Large nucleus to pack oxygen in
C. Contains chlorophyll to pick up the oxygen
3 What two steps are taken by a phagocyte to destroy a microbial invader?
A. Engulf, then digest
B. Digest, then engulf
C. Attach and relocate
4 What is the function of platelets in the blood?
A. To engulf and digest microbes
B. To clot the blood
C. To carry urea
5 Which vessel returns blood from the body to the heart?
A. Pulmonary vein
B. Aorta
C. Vena cava
6 What is the function of valves in the circulatory system?
A. To only let oxygenated blood through
B. To only let deoxygenated blood through
C. To stop blood flowing backwards
7 Which chamber of the heart contracts with the highest pressure?
A. Left atrium
B. Left ventricle
C. Right ventricle
8 The walls of which type of blood vessel are only one cell thick?
A. Arteries
B. Veins
C. Capillaries

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BEAM CYLD GD online Lesson3 - Circulatory system
Saya Alan: 063 172 6263 [email protected] Lesson ID: 615 032 8652

9 Which substance can build up in coronary arteries leading to heart disease?

A. Salt
B. Sugar
C. Cholesterol

10 Which treatment for heart disease involves the insertion of a small balloon into
a blood vessel?
A. Statins
B. Angioplasty
C. Changes to lifestyle

Fun facts

• An adult will have approximately 1.2-1.5 gallons (or 10 units) of blood in their
body.
• A typical adult has a blood volume of approximately 5 liters, with females and males
having approximately the same blood volume. Blood volume is regulated by the kidneys.

• Blood is approximately 10% of an adult's weight.

• If all arteries and veins of the human circulatory system were laid end to end, the
total length would be 60,000 miles. (100,000 km). That's nearly two and a half
times around the Earth.
• Your heart beats about 100,000 times in one day and about 35 million times in a
year.
• During an average lifetime, the human heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times.
• Normal heart rates at rest (pulse rate): Children (ages 6 - 15) 70 – 100 beats per
minute. Adults (age 18 and over) 60 – 100 beats per minute.
• A normal level of oxygen in your blood is usually 95% or higher. Some people
with chronic lung disease or sleep apnea can have normal levels around 90%.
The “SpO2” reading on a pulse oximeter shows the percentage of oxygen in
someone's blood.

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