What makes up our cardiovascular system

What Does the Circulatory System Do? What Are the Parts of the Heart? The heart has four chambers — two on top and two on bottom: The two bottom chambers are the right ventricle and the left ventricle. These pump blood out of the heart. A wall called the interventricular septum is between the two ventricles. The two top chambers are the right atrium and the left atrium. They receive the blood entering the heart. A wall called the interatrial septum is between the atria. The atria are separated from the ventricles by the atrioventricular valves: The tricuspid valve separates the right atrium from the right ventricle.

The mitral valve separates the left atrium from the left ventricle. Two valves also separate the ventricles from the large blood vessels that carry blood leaving the heart: The pulmonic valve is between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery, which carries blood to the lungs. The aortic valve is between the left ventricle and the aorta, which carries blood to the body. What Are the Parts of the Circulatory System?

Two pathways come from the heart: The pulmonary circulation is a short loop from the heart to the lungs and back again. The systemic circulation carries blood from the heart to all the other parts of the body and back again.

In pulmonary circulation: The pulmonary artery is a big artery that comes from the heart. It splits into two main branches, and brings blood from the heart to the lungs. At the lungs, the blood picks up oxygen and drops off carbon dioxide. The blood then returns to the heart through the pulmonary veins. In systemic circulation: Next, blood that returns to the heart has picked up lots of oxygen from the lungs. So it can now go out to the body. The aorta is a big artery that leaves the heart carrying this oxygenated blood.

Branches off of the aorta send blood to the muscles of the heart itself, as well as all other parts of the body. Like a tree, the branches gets smaller and smaller as they get farther from the aorta. We also outline some common cardiovascular system diseases and their associated treatments. The cardiovascular system is the system responsible for delivering blood to different parts of the body.

It consists of the following organs and tissues:. There are two blood circulatory systems in the body. The first is the systemic circulatory system. This is the main blood circulatory system that transports blood to the organs, tissues, and cells throughout the body. The second is the pulmonary circulatory system. This circulatory system moves blood between the heart and lungs. It is where oxygen enters the blood and carbon dioxide leaves the blood.

Valves control the flow of blood within the different chambers. Blood follows the following path through the heart:. The heart pumps blood through closed vessels to every tissue within the body. The blood itself then delivers nutrients and oxygen to all cells in the body. Without blood, the cells and tissues would not function at their total capacity and would begin to malfunction and die.

The cardiac cycle consists of two phases. The first phase is diastole, in which the ventricles fill with blood. It begins when the aortic or pulmonary valve closes and ends when the mitral or tricuspid valve closes. During diastole, blood vessels return blood to the heart in preparation for the next contraction of the ventricles.

The second phase is systole, in which the ventricles contract and eject blood. It begins when the mitral or tricuspid valve closes and ends when the aortic or pulmonary valve closes. The pressure inside the ventricles becomes greater than the pressure inside adjacent blood vessels, thereby forcing the blood from the ventricles to the vessels.

Cardiovascular diseases can be severe and potentially life threatening. Understanding conditions that can affect the cardiovascular system may help people seek appropriate and timely medical advice. A heart attack happens when a part of the heart muscle does not receive enough blood. This can occur due to a blockage, a tear in an artery around the heart, or if the heart requires more oxygen than is available. Symptoms of a heart attack include :.

People who have had a heart attack can lower their chances of future cardiovascular problems by engaging in the following:. A stroke is a medical condition in which the blood supply to a part of the brain becomes cut off. This lack of blood supply triggers the death of brain cells. There are two types of stroke. Continue reading as we delve deeper into the circulatory system, its function, and what you can do to keep your heart and blood vessels in good shape.

Your circulatory system is vital to your survival. The small blood vessels called capillaries facilitate the exchange of oxygen and nutrients between your blood and the cells in your body. Carbon dioxide and other waste products, which are expelled from your body, are also exchanged via your capillaries.

These tiny capillaries are spread throughout your body so that they can reach every cell. The circulatory system can also respond to various stimuli to regulate the flow of blood. Examples of these stimuli include changes in:.

Atherosclerosis is when plaque builds up along the walls of your arteries. Risk factors that can contribute to plaque buildup include:.

Atherosclerosis can gradually make the arteries narrower, affecting the amount of blood that can flow through them. Because of this, organs and tissues may not get enough oxygen. Other arteries in your body can also be affected as well. This is called peripheral artery disease , which affects how well blood can flow to your legs, feet, arms, and hands.

In some cases, an artery may become completely blocked by plaque or a blood clot. When this happens, a heart attack or stroke can occur. Your blood pressure is the force that your blood exerts on the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps.

High blood pressure can eventually damage your heart and blood vessels, as well as other organs like your brain, kidneys , and eyes. An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm. When you have an arrhythmia, your heart may be beating too fast tachycardia , too slowly bradycardia , or irregularly. It happens due to changes in the heart or its electrical signals.

Your veins contain valves that help keep oxygen-depleted blood flowing toward your heart. When these valves fail, blood collects in the veins, which can cause them to bulge and become swollen or painful. Varicose veins most often appear on the lower legs. A blood clot is when blood coagulates or clumps together to form a gel-like mass.