Circulatory System

V.A.C.L.

Veins (2nd biggest)

Arteries (biggest)

Capillaries (smallest)

Lymphatic vessels 

Thin layer of muscles and elastic fibres

Thick layer of muscles and elastic fibres 

No muscles and elastic fibres 


Wide lumen

Narrow lumen 

Very small lumen


Thin outer wall

Thick outer wall

One cell thick wall


Semi lunar valves to prevent backflow of blood

No semilunar valves 

No semilunar valves 


Near the body surface

Deep in the body surface

Inside of all tissues


Blood moves by skeletal muscle power

Blood moves by heart power


Powered by pressure from muscles

Blood moves towards the heart 

Blood moves away from heart


Return leaked water or plasma to the blood stream

Usually carries blue blood except around the lungs

Usually carries red blood except around the lungs


Has white blood cells to fight germs (part of the immune system). Releases them through pores


P v.s S

Parasympathetic system  (98%)

Sympathetic system (2%)

Opposite of Sympathetic system

Kicks in when in danger 

Rest, digest, kill the pest

Heart rate increases

Immune system is working 

Muscles become priority (so you can run)

Everything is normal

IQ drops 

Happy and low cortisol 

Digestion stops, causing throw up or diarrhea 


Aderaline (epinepharine) goes up 


Pupils dilate and senses heighten 


Fight, flight or freeze


  • The vagus nerve controls the parasympathetic system and makes the heart rate decrease. 

  • The sympathetic cardiac nerve controls the sympathetic system and makes the heart rate increase and force contraction 

  • Both simulate (tells them what to do) the muscles aka the heart 

Order of Nerve simulation 

  1. Vagus Nerve and sympathetic cardiac nerve 

  2. SA (Sinoatrial) node 

    1. makes sure heart beats right and contracts atrium

  3. AV (atrioventrical) node 

  4. Bundle of His 

    1. pathways 

  5. Bundle Branches (right and left) 

    1. Relays message from bundle of His 

  6. Purkinje Fibers

    1. Official delivers and contracts ventricles? 

Slideshow notes 

Congestive Heart Failure 

  • Heart Failure - heart can’t pump enough blood for your body 

    • Right side failure - not enough blood is pumped to your lungs to get oxygen 

    • Left side failure - not enough blood with oxygen is pumped to you body

  • Symptoms: Shortness of breath, heart palpitations (heart beating unevenly or wrongly), swelling in ankles, legs, and belly 

  • Causes: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and Heart Attacks, Chronic High Blood Pressure (Hypertension), Diabetes, Heart Valve Disease 

Myocardial Infraction

  • Heart attack caused by blood clots in the arteries (block blood from going to the heart) 

  • Symptoms: Chest pain, fatigue, passing out, Nausea 

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) 

  • Plaque made of cholesterol and other stuff builds up inside the arteries making it hard for blood to travel which can lead to a heart attack 

  • Symptoms: weakness, pain

Stroke 

  • Blood flow to your brain is blocked or blood vessels ruptures 

  • Types: Hemorrhagic, Ischemic, Transient Ischemic 

  • Symptoms: weakness, loss of balance, difficulty speaking or understanding speech 

  • Causes: High blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, genetics 

  • BE FAST 

Atherosclerosis 

  • Narrowing and closing of arteries due to the build up of cholesterol and fat in the walls 

  • Symptoms: shortness of breath, leg pain, weakness

Aortic Aneurysm 

  • Balloon like bulge in aorta that can rupture or dissect 

  • Symptoms: pain in back, jaws, and chest, low blood pressure, hard time breathing 

  • Common in men and old people 

High Blood Pressure 

  • Normal: 120/80 and High: 130/80 

  • Heart and blood vessels work overtime increasing risk of heart attacks and other stuff

  • Causes: Age and genetics (more common among men) 

Lymphadenopathy

  • Swollen lymph nodes that act as small filters in your immune system 

    • Can mean infection or blood cancer like lymphoma (spectrum)

  • Symptoms: swelling in neck armpits or groin, fevers, weight loss 

  • Causes: white blood cells multiply to fight threats or abnormal cells accumulate 

Germ evolution 

  • Kill you -> makes you sick or coexist with you -> helps you ( E.Coli) 

  • Germs want to survive, killing the host means killing themselves, the only reason why germs kill us is because of mutation, or its transfer from another animal. 

  • AIDS came from monkeys in Africa (they were ok with it) -> People killed the monkeys for food -> The monkey’s blood (with AIDs in it) gets inside of the hunters through wounds -> AIDS gets transferred through fluids like blood -> Humans have AIDS 

pH system 

Acid (hydrogen ions) and Base (OH) which make water 

Most acidic is 0 and the most base/alkalinity is 14 (0-14 spectrum)

7 is the middle and our blood is a level of 6 because of carbonic acid in our blood 

Why buffers are necessary

Bicarbonic acid buffers our blood and keeps the acidity balanced??????? 

What water and CO2 make 

The Blood 

55% Plasma and 45% Cellular Elements

Plasma: solvent for carrying other substances made of water (polar), CO2, nutrients, waste, hormones and dissolved ions 

  • Includes salts (sodium, magnesium, calcium, etc), plasma proteins, and other substances transported by blood 

    • 90-92% water and 8-10% protein

    • Bicarbonic acid buffers our blood and keeps the acidity balanced

    • Salts are ions 

    • Plasma protein 

      • Fibrinogen: Clotting 

      • Albumin: balances the water concentration in the blood (pH buffer) 

      • Immunoglobulins (antibody) - Immunities that are Y-shape that either clump germs together, mark germs or kill them 

Red blood cells (erythrocytes) - carry oxygen 

White blood cells (leukocytes) - defense and immunity (kill germs and build antibodies) 

Platelets (thrombocytes) - blood clotting (repair any tear) 

P and M

Polymers 

Monomers

Proteins

Amino acids

lipids

Fatty acids

Nucleic acids

nucleotides

Polysaccharide carbohydrates 

Monosaccharide sugar