Cardiovascular System & Lymphatic System

What is an arterial pulse & what is it used to determine?

- alternate expansion and recoil of an arterial muscle wall can be felt - no muscles in the way

- used to measure heart rate

Where can you find your arterial pulse?

wrist = radial artery

neck = carotid artery

temporal to eye = superficial temporal artery

thigh = femoral artery

upper arm = brachial artery

What is the lymphatic system?

- a separate set of vessels connected to cardiovascular system but does not contain red blood cells

What are the 4 components of the lymphatic system?

1. lymph

2. lymphatic vessels

3. lymph nodes

4. associated tissues and organs

What is lymph?

- tissue fluid moved into lymphatic system and becomes lymph

- eventually drains into circulatory system

What are lymphatic vessels (composition)?

- network of capillaries in tissue spaces

- starts at dead ends that pick up tissue fluid

- no pump exists to move the fluid: moved by muscle contraction

- valves prevent backflow

What are nodes (composition & function)?

- bean-shaped swelling of lymph vessels

- filter blood (kill pathogens, etc.) before returning blood to the cardiovascular system

What are the associated tissues and organs?

- red bone marrow

- spleen

- tonsils

- thymus

Red bone marrow?

produces white blood cells needed for immunity

Spleen?

initiates immune response

Tonsils?

large nodes

Thymus?

produces T cells

Lymph entry to cardiovascular system?

- capillary networks of lymphatic system reach right or left lymphatic duct

- fluid drains into cardio system through right or left subclavian vein