Circulatory System: Blood Vessels and Circulation Pathways

Vocabulary flashcards covering the characteristics of arteries, veins, pulmonary circulation, and systemic circulation based on the provided lecture notes.

Arteries

Blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart, featuring thick walls due to a thick middle smooth muscle layer, carrying blood under pressure, and containing no valves inside them except those within the heart.

Veins

Blood vessels that carry blood to the heart, featuring thin walls because the middle smooth muscle layer is thin, carrying blood not under pressure, and containing semi-lunar valves.

Semi-lunar valves

Valves located within veins that function to prevent the back-flow of blood.

Pulmonary circulation

The pathway of blood flow where the right ventricle contracts to force deoxygenated blood into the pulmonary artery, which eventually carries blood to the lungs.

Systemic circulation

The pathway of blood flow where the left ventricle contracts to force blood carrying food and oxygen (oxygenated blood) into the aorta and its branches to all parts of the body.

Pulmonary artery

The vessel that receives deoxygenated blood from the contracting right ventricle and breaks up into two larger arteries (one going to each lung) and then into smaller arterioles.

Arterioles

Smaller vessels in pulmonary circulation that arise from the two larger pulmonary arteries and carry blood directly to the lungs.

Aorta

The main vessel that receives blood carrying food and oxygen (oxygenated blood) when the left ventricle contracts, branching into large and smaller arteries to reach all parts of the body.

Right ventricle

The chamber of the heart that contracts to force deoxygenated blood into the pulmonary artery during pulmonary circulation.

Left ventricle

The chamber of the heart that contracts to force oxygenated blood carrying food and oxygen into the aorta during systemic circulation.