What is the transportation of the blood?
When talking about the transportation of the blood we are referring to how does the blood actually travel around the body along with where does it pass through the Cardiovascular System. Firstly, you need to know that the body has a double pump, meaning there are two types of circulation for the blood to travel around the body. One being the Pulmonary Circuit which deals with deoxygenated blood that requires the blood to return waste products back to the lungs, in addition to the other being the Systemic Circuit where this refers to oxygenated blood carrying oxygen to all the systems in the human body.
Pulmonary Circuit - deoxygenated blood.
We are going to be starting at the most important muscle in the body; the heart. The pulmonary circuit has a job of the removal of waste products from a variety of areas in the body, mainly the muscles that have an excess build up through exercising. Deoxygenated blood has a function of exchanging oxygen for waste products like carbon dioxide and lactic acid via the capillaries - gas exchange take place in the alveoli which are small sacs - which is surrounded by the capillaries. The waste products (deoxygenated blood) travels through a slow process network named the capillaries where it will eventually lead the venules (smaller veins) and then into the main veins. The blood enters the right atrium via the superior vena cava (at the top of the right atrium) and the inferior vena cava referring to the lower area of the right atrium. Having the deoxygenated blood be at the top of the right side of the heart, it is then diffused into the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve which is the door into the lower chamber. As the tricuspid valve a contract, the valve closes off the direction so the blood is unable to flow back into the atrium. The right ventricle, filled with the deoxygenated blood will then contract forcing the blood through the pulmonary artery where it will transport the blood with no oxygen into the lungs to be oxygenated.
Systemic Circuit - oxygenated blood.
The systemic circulation refers to the oxygenated blood being transported around the body to all the bodies’ major systems along with working muscles also - they are in need of being fed as they are required to function to keep our bodies healthy. The function of the system is to transport oxygen-rich blood via the arteries and capillaries that are known to be the oxygen's main networks.
Having left the pulmonary circuit which deals with the deoxygenated blood, we have now gained oxygen in the lungs, turning the blood into being oxygenated-rich blood. The blood now travels towards the left side of the heart (which is much larger as it has a tendency to force the blood at a greater distance to shoot around the body) by the pulmonary vein, which is the only vein in the body that deals with oxygenated blood. Next, the pulmonary vein enters the top of the left atrium at the heart. When the atria relax the blood will flow through the bicuspid valve door into the lower chamber named the ventricle, which is the largest chamber out of the four in the heart. The valves are there to ensure that the blood does not flow in a backwards direction as this could cause many heart problems such as a blood clotting. Now having the oxygenated blood in the left ventricle, when this chamber contracts strongly, the blood is then forced up to the top of the heart out of the most common, yet well-known artery named the aorta. The aorta then branches off into smaller segment that are named the arterioles. This is a job where the oxygenated blood is met with the capillaries, which surround the alveoli (air sac) to enforce the gas exchange to take place - the oxygen then diffuses through the capillaries into the alveoli, where then carbon dioxide along with other waste products that are deoxygenated travel through the capillaries to the veins, where we are now in the pulmonary circuit.
We must remember tha the heart is a double pump, where both circuits are working at the same time! The heart pumps faster where we carry out activities as there is a quicker supply of oxygen to the muscles and diffusion needed to carry on for longer.
Pulmonary Circuit - deoxygenated blood.
We are going to be starting at the most important muscle in the body; the heart. The pulmonary circuit has a job of the removal of waste products from a variety of areas in the body, mainly the muscles that have an excess build up through exercising. Deoxygenated blood has a function of exchanging oxygen for waste products like carbon dioxide and lactic acid via the capillaries - gas exchange take place in the alveoli which are small sacs - which is surrounded by the capillaries. The waste products (deoxygenated blood) travels through a slow process network named the capillaries where it will eventually lead the venules (smaller veins) and then into the main veins. The blood enters the right atrium via the superior vena cava (at the top of the right atrium) and the inferior vena cava referring to the lower area of the right atrium. Having the deoxygenated blood be at the top of the right side of the heart, it is then diffused into the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve which is the door into the lower chamber. As the tricuspid valve a contract, the valve closes off the direction so the blood is unable to flow back into the atrium. The right ventricle, filled with the deoxygenated blood will then contract forcing the blood through the pulmonary artery where it will transport the blood with no oxygen into the lungs to be oxygenated.
Systemic Circuit - oxygenated blood.
The systemic circulation refers to the oxygenated blood being transported around the body to all the bodies’ major systems along with working muscles also - they are in need of being fed as they are required to function to keep our bodies healthy. The function of the system is to transport oxygen-rich blood via the arteries and capillaries that are known to be the oxygen's main networks.
Having left the pulmonary circuit which deals with the deoxygenated blood, we have now gained oxygen in the lungs, turning the blood into being oxygenated-rich blood. The blood now travels towards the left side of the heart (which is much larger as it has a tendency to force the blood at a greater distance to shoot around the body) by the pulmonary vein, which is the only vein in the body that deals with oxygenated blood. Next, the pulmonary vein enters the top of the left atrium at the heart. When the atria relax the blood will flow through the bicuspid valve door into the lower chamber named the ventricle, which is the largest chamber out of the four in the heart. The valves are there to ensure that the blood does not flow in a backwards direction as this could cause many heart problems such as a blood clotting. Now having the oxygenated blood in the left ventricle, when this chamber contracts strongly, the blood is then forced up to the top of the heart out of the most common, yet well-known artery named the aorta. The aorta then branches off into smaller segment that are named the arterioles. This is a job where the oxygenated blood is met with the capillaries, which surround the alveoli (air sac) to enforce the gas exchange to take place - the oxygen then diffuses through the capillaries into the alveoli, where then carbon dioxide along with other waste products that are deoxygenated travel through the capillaries to the veins, where we are now in the pulmonary circuit.
We must remember tha the heart is a double pump, where both circuits are working at the same time! The heart pumps faster where we carry out activities as there is a quicker supply of oxygen to the muscles and diffusion needed to carry on for longer.