The Circulatory System Works In Tandem With The Respiratory System
The circulatory and respiratory systems work together to sustain the body with oxygen and to remove carbon dioxide. Pulmonary circulation facilitates the process of external respiration: Deoxygenated blood flows into the lungs. It absorbs oxygen from tiny air sacs and releases carbon dioxide to be exhaled. Systemic circulation facilitates internal respiration: Oxygenated blood flows into capillaries through the rest of the body. The blood diffuses oxygen into cells and absorbs carbon dioxide.
Blood Circulation Within The Heart For Kids
The human heart is connected with blood vessels coming from around the body. The blood is pumped into the blood vessels through the heart. This pumping of blood goes through a complex process, where in the deoxygenated blood or impure blood is cleansed and oxygenated blood or pure blood is sent throughout the body.
Right Vs Left Side Of The Heart
The easiest way to understand the blood flow through the heart is to divide the heart into 2 sides.
We first have the right side of the heart shown in blue below.
There are 6 main steps or structures in which blood flows through the right side of the heart.
Next, we have the left side of the heart shown in red.
Similar to the right side, there are 6 main steps or structures in which blood flows through the left side of the heart.
Diagram: Blood flow steps through the right and left side of the heart, cardiac anatomy and structures, and cardiac circulation pathway.
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How Does Blood Travel Through The Heart
As the heart beats, it pumps blood through a system of blood vessels, called the circulatory system. The vessels are elastic tubes that carry blood to every part of the body.
Blood is essential. In addition to carrying fresh oxygen from the lungs and nutrients to your body’s tissues, it also takes the body’s waste products, including carbon dioxide, away from the tissues. This is necessary to sustain life and promote the health of all the body’s tissues.
There are three main types of blood vessels:
- Arteries. They begin with the aorta, the large artery leaving the heart. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to all of the body’s tissues. They branch several times, becoming smaller and smaller as they carry blood farther from the heart.
- Capillaries. These are small, thin blood vessels that connect the arteries and the veins. Their thin walls allow oxygen, nutrients, carbon dioxide, and other waste products to pass to and from our organ’s cells.
- Veins. These are blood vessels that take blood back to the heart this blood lacks oxygen and is rich in waste products that are to be excreted or removed from the body. Veins become larger and larger as they get closer to the heart. The superior vena cava is the large vein that brings blood from the head and arms to the heart, and the inferior vena cava brings blood from the abdomen and legs into the heart.
Blood flows continuously through your body’s blood vessels. Your heart is the pump that makes it all possible.
Classification & Structure Of Blood Vessels
Blood vessels are the channels or conduits through which blood is distributed to body tissues. The vessels make up two closed systems of tubes that begin and end at the heart. One system, the pulmonary vessels, transports blood from the right ventricle to the lungs and back to the left atrium. The other system, the systemic vessels, carries blood from the left ventricle to the tissues in all parts of the body and then returns the blood to the right atrium. Based on their structure and function, blood vessels are classified as either arteries, capillaries, or veins.
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How Does The Blood Circulatory System Work
The blood circulatory system delivers nutrients and oxygen to all cells in the body. It consists of the heart and the blood vessels running through the entire body. The arteries carry blood away from the heart the veins carry it back to the heart. The system of blood vessels resembles a tree: The trunk the main artery branches into large arteries, which lead to smaller and smaller vessels. The smallest arteries end in a network of tiny vessels known as the capillary network.
There isn’t only one blood circulatory system in the human body, but two, which are connected: The systemic circulation provides organs, tissues and cells with blood so that they get oxygen and other vital substances. The pulmonary circulation is where the fresh oxygen we breathe in enters the blood. At the same time, carbon dioxide is released from the blood.
Blood circulation starts when the heart relaxes between two heartbeats: The blood flows from both atria into the ventricles , which then expand. The following phase is called the ejection period, which is when both ventricles pump the blood into the large arteries.
What Is The Order Of Blood Flow Through The Heart Step By Step
The right and left sides of your heart work together to ensure blood flows throughout your whole body. Blood flows through your heart through a series of steps. These steps take place in the space of one heartbeat just a second or two.
On the right side
On the left side
Blood flows through your heart from the right side to the left side and then back to the rest of your body.
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The Heart Powers Both Types Of Circulation
The heart pumps oxygenated blood out of the left ventricle and into the aorta to begin systemic circulation. After the blood has supplied cells throughout the body with oxygen and nutrients, it returns deoxygenated blood to the right atrium of the heart. The deoxygenated blood shoots down from the right atrium to the right ventricle. The heart then pumps it out of the right ventricle and into the pulmonary arteries to begin pulmonary circulation. The blood moves to the lungs, exchanges carbon dioxide for oxygen, and returns to the left atrium. The oxygenated blood shoots from the left atrium to the left ventricle below, to begin systemic circulation again.
What Are The Conditions That Restrict Blood Flow To Heart
If blood flow is restricted to the heart then it affects the whole function of the body. The blood flow becomes reduced due to coronary artery disease. If you have this then you feel:
- Cough or congestion
If you feel any of these problems then you have to immediately consult with a cardiologist. You can also online consult with our specialist.
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How Does Blood Flow Through The Heart To The Lungs
- Once blood travels through the pulmonic valve, it enters your lungs. This is called the pulmonary circulation.
- From your pulmonic valve, blood travels to the pulmonary artery to tiny capillary vessels in the lungs.
- Here, oxygen travels from the tiny air sacs in the lungs, through the walls of the capillaries, into the blood.
- At the same time, carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism, passes from the blood into the air sacs.
- Carbon dioxide leaves the body when you exhale.
- Once the blood is purified and oxygenated, it travels back to the left atrium through the pulmonary veins.
What Are The Coronary Arteries
Like all organs, your heart is made of tissue that requires a supply of oxygen and nutrients. Although its chambers are full of blood, the heart receives no nourishment from this blood. The heart receives its own supply of blood from a network of arteries, called the coronary arteries.
Two major coronary arteries branch off from the aorta near the point where the aorta and the left ventricle meet:
- Right coronary artery supplies the right atrium and right ventricle with blood. It usually branches into the posterior descending artery, which supplies the bottom portion of the left ventricle and back of the septum with blood.
- Left main coronary artery branches into the circumflex artery and the left anterior descending artery. The circumflex artery supplies blood to the left atrium, side, and back of the left ventricle, and the left anterior descending artery supplies the front and bottom of the left ventricle and the front of the septum with blood.
These arteries and their branches supply all parts of the heart muscle with blood.
When the coronary arteries narrow to the point that blood flow to the heart muscle is limited , a network of tiny blood vessels in the heart that aren’t usually open called collateral vessels may enlarge and become active. This allows blood to flow around the blocked artery to the heart muscle, protecting the heart tissue from injury.
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The Right Side Of The Heart
The Left Side of the Heart
Chambers Of The Heart
The internalcavity of the heart is divided into four chambers:
The two atria are thin-walled chambers that receive blood from the veins. The two ventricles are thick-walled chambers that forcefully pump blood out of the heart. Differences in thickness of the heart chamber walls are due to variations in the amount of myocardium present, which reflects the amount of force each chamber is required to generate.
The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from systemic veins the left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the pulmonary veins.
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Summary: What Are The 14 Steps Of Blood Flow Through The Heart
Blood flows through the heart in the following order: 1) body > 2) inferior/superior vena cava > 3) right atrium > 4) tricuspid valve > 5) right ventricle > 6) pulmonary arteries > 7) lungs > 8) pulmonary veins > 9) left atrium > 10) mitral or bicuspid valve > 11) left ventricle > 12) aortic valve > 13) aorta > 14) body.
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Atrial Or Supraventricular Tachycardia
Atrial or supraventricular tachycardia is a fast heart rate that starts in the upper chambers of the heart. Some forms of this tachycardia are paroxysmal atrial tachycardia and paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia .
With atrial or supraventricular tachycardia, electrical signals in the hearts upper chambers occur abnormally. There may also be structural abnormalities of the heart. This interferes with electrical impulses coming from the sinus node, the hearts natural pacemaker.
The disruption results in a faster than normal heart rate. This rapid heartbeat keeps the hearts chambers from filling completely between contractions, which may compromise blood flow to the rest of the body.
Risk factors for Atrial or SVT
In general, those most likely to have atrial or supraventricular tachycardia are:
- Women, to a greater degree than men
- Young people with anxiety
- People who are middle-aged and older
You are at increased risk for atrial tachycardia or SVT if you:
- Drink alcohol heavily
In extreme cases, people with atrial or SVT may also experience:
- Unconsciousness
Treatment for Atrial or SVT
If you have atrial or SVT that occurs once in a while, you may not need treatment if you dont have symptoms or other heart problems.
Episodes of atrial or SVT often can be stopped by one of a few techniques. These actions should be supervised or conducted by a health care professional. They include:
These techniques are most effective when used right after the arrhythmia starts.
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Can Atrial Fibrillation Go Away
What is atrial fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation is a condition in which the heart beats irregularly and rapidly. During atrial fibrillation, the hearts two upper chambers beat irregularly without coordination with the two lower chambers of the heart.
Atrial fibrillation is usually due to damage to the heart’s electrical system from conditions such as longstanding uncontrolled high blood pressure and coronary artery disease . Atrial fibrillation is also the most common complication after heart surgery.
The symptoms of atrial fibrillation include:
- a feeling of racing or pounding heartbeat ,
- shortness of breath, and
There Are Two Types Of Circulation: Pulmonary Circulation And Systemic Circulation
Pulmonary circulation moves blood between the heart and the lungs. It transports deoxygenated blood to the lungs to absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide. The oxygenated blood then flows back to the heart. Systemic circulation moves blood between the heart and the rest of the body. It sends oxygenated blood out to cells and returns deoxygenated blood to the heart.
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There Are Three Main Types Of Blood Vessels
Arteries
The arteries carry oxygen and nutrients away from your heart, to your body’s tissues.The veins take oxygen-poor blood back to the heart.
- Arteries begin with the aorta, the large artery leaving the heart.
- They carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to all of the body’s tissues.
- They branch several times, becoming smaller and smaller as they carry blood further from the heart.
Capillaries
- Capillaries are small, thin blood vessels that connect the arteries and the veins.
- Their thin walls allow oxygen, nutrients, carbon dioxide and waste products to pass to and from the tissue cells.
Veins
- These are blood vessels that take oxygen-poor blood back to the heart.
- Veins become larger and larger as they get closer to the heart.
- The superior vena cava is the large vein that brings blood from the head and arms to the heart, and the inferior vena cava brings blood from the abdomen and legs into the heart.
This vast system of blood vessels – arteries, veins, and capillaries – is over 60,000 miles long. That’s long enough to go around the world more than twice!
Blood flows continuously through your body’s blood vessels. Your heart is the pump that makes it all possible.
When To Worry About Blood Flow
If you have a sudden irregular heartbeat, or cardiac symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath, call 911 for immediate medical help. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider about more chronic symptoms, like chest pain with exertion or swelling in your legs, that may indicate problems with blood flow.
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Left Side Of The Heart
Pulmonary Veins: The semilunar valve on the left side will convey the blood directly to the left atrium. In the fetal heart, there will be a small hole between the arteries and aorta called the arteriosus this hole will deliver the blood from the respiratory system.
Left Atrium: The circumflex artery will push blood into the left atrium, the systemic veins will let the stream come in.
Mitral Valve: This thin barrier helps the blood flow gradually into the ventricle. Without the mitral valve, the heart cannot have enough force to pump the blood.
Left Ventricle: In the diastole, the ventricle contracts will push the oxygenated blood through the valve to reach the left ventricle on the bottom of the heart.will push the oxygenated blood through the valve to reach the left ventricle on the bottom of the heart.
Aortic Valve: After the diastole, the heart will begin the systole. The heart muscle will pump the oxygenated blood up to the aorta through the aortic valve, which is situated between the ventricle and aorta.
Aorta: This is the final step that forces the oxygen-rich blood out of the aorta – the largest artery and coronary arteries. The coronary artery branches, which arise from the aortic sinus, are linked with the circumflex artery. After that the blood is spreaded to the umbilical vein and then to the right organs of the body in the major branch.