The Interaction between Breathing and Circulatory Systems

A set of Question-and-Answer flashcards covering capillaries, gas exchange, transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide, the systemic circuit, and the relationship between breathing and circulation.

What is the role of capillaries in gas exchange?

They are tiny blood vessels with very thin walls that allow oxygen to pass from blood to tissues and carbon dioxide to pass from tissues to blood.

How is oxygen transported from the lungs to the body's tissues?

Oxygen diffuses into the blood in the lungs, is carried by red blood cells to the heart, and is pumped around the body to respiring tissues.

What is gas exchange in the context of the lungs and tissues?

The swapping of carbon dioxide for oxygen between blood and the walls of capillaries in the lungs or tissues.

Where does carbon dioxide come from and how is it removed from the body?

CO2 is a waste product of respiration; it diffuses from cells into blood, is carried to the lungs, and exhaled.

What is the systemic circuit?

The circulation path that carries oxygenated blood from the heart to body tissues and returns deoxygenated blood to the heart.

What happens to oxygen once it reaches respiring tissues?

Oxygen is released from blood into cells where it is used for cellular respiration to release energy.

How is carbon dioxide transported back to the lungs?

CO2 diffuses from cells into the blood and is transported to the lungs to be exhaled.

How can we describe gas exchange when it occurs in both lungs and tissues?

Gas exchange is the exchange of waste carbon dioxide for a fresh supply of oxygen.