The Circulatory System

Three main parts/components

1. A pump – The heart
Cardiac Physiology
2. Blood – The medium for carrying
nutrient, gases and wastes.
Chapter 9 3. Delivery, exchange and return system
– The arteries, capillaries and veins

Lungs

The circulatory system has three Pulmonary

capillaries

main components: Pulmonary

circulation
Pulmonary
veins

• The heart establishes a pressure gradient to Pulmonary

arteries
pump the blood.
• The blood vessels are passageways for the
distribution of pumped blood throughout the
body.( to and from the tissues). Right
side
Left
side Systemic
of of arteries
• The blood is a transport medium, serving the Systemic
heart heart
Systemic
needs of body cells. veins circulation

– The pulmonary circulation is a loop of blood vessels

between the heart and the lungs. Systemic
= O2-rich blood
capillaries
– The systemic circulation is the circuit of blood Organ
systems
vessels between the heart and other body systems. = O2-poor blood

The heart is a muscular organ, The heart is a dual sided,

about the size of a closed fist.
• It is located in the thoracic cavity,
between the sternum and vertebrae.
• The base of the heart lies to the right of
the sternum.
• The apex lies to the left of the sternum.
• By its location the blood can be manually
driven from the heart by CPR.
dual chambered pump.
•The atria are its two upper chambers.
•They receive blood returning to the heart (from
veins) and transfer blood to the ventricles.
•The ventricles are the two lower chambers that
pump blood from the heart. (via arteries)
•A septum separates the low-oxygen blood on
the right side of the heart from the high-oxygen
blood on the left side.

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 The right side of the heart receives In the lungs, blood is re-oxygenated
low oxygen blood from the body.
•The lungs add oxygen to the blood.
• The venae cavae are veins returning blood to •Carbon dioxide is removed from this
the right atrium. blood.
• Oxygen has been extracted from this blood.
•This blood flows through pulmonary
• Carbon dioxide has been added to it.
veins to the left atrium of the heart.
• This blood is pumped from the right ventricle
through the pulmonary artery to the lungs.
• Therefore the right side is called the Pulmonary
Side.

The left side of the heart Systemic Circulation

receives blood from the lungs.
•The systemic circulation is a series of
• The left side of the heart receives blood from parallel pathways.
the pulmonary circulation. •Parts of it are distributed to different body
• This high-oxygen blood is pumped from the left regions.
ventricle through the aorta, a large artery out to
the body. •Each region receives a fresh blood
• It pumps it to all the systems of the body supply.
(systemic circulation) •Depleted blood (low oxygen, high carbon
• Therefore the left side is called the Systemic dioxide) returns to the right side of the
Side.
heart.

The right and left pumps can be compared

•Oxygen-poor blood on the right side soon
Venae cavae Pulmonary artery becomes the same volume of oxygen-rich blood
Right Right
atrium ventricle pumped from the left side.
Other
Systemic Pulmonary
•The pulmonary circulation is low pressure and
Digestive
systemic Brain Kidneys Muscles Lung
organs tract circulation circulation
s low resistance.
Left Left
•The systemic circulation is high pressure, high
Aorta
ventricle atrium Pulmonary veins resistance.
•Pressure is the force exerted by pumped blood
on a vessel wall.
•Resistance is the opposition to blood flow.

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 Order of blood flow through the Superior vena
cava (from head)
Aorta

Left pulmonary

heart and blood vessels. Right pulmonary

artery
artery

Left pulmonary
Right
•Blood returns from the body through the Venae pulmonary vein
vein

Cavae to the right artium. Left atrium

Pulmonary
•From the right atrium to the right ventricle. semilunar valve Left
atrioventricular
•Blood flows through the pulmonary artery to the Right atrium (AV) valve
Right atrioventricular
lungs. (AV) valve Aortic semilunar
valve
•Blood is retuned via the pulmonary vein to the left Inferior vena cava Left ventricle
(from body)
atrium.
Interventricular
Right ventricle
•From the left atrium to left ventricle. septum

•From left ventricle through the aorta to the body. Arrows indicate direction
of the blood flow. = O2-rich blood = O2-poor blood

Valves in the heart provide a one-way Aorta

flow of blood through the heart Pulmonary artery

Superior vena cava
•There are four valves within the heart (two on
Pulmonary valve
each side. Pulmonary veins

Pulmonary veins Left atrium

•One between each atrium and ventricle.
Left AV valve
–Right side - the Tricuspid valve Right atrium
Aortic valve

–Left side - the Bicuspid valve Right AV valve

Chordae tendineae
Papillary muscle
–Also called - the right & left Atrio-ventricular
Left ventricle
Right ventricle
valves
Interventricular septum
•One at the end (top) of each ventricle. Inferior vena cava

–The pulmonary & aortic semi-lunar valves

(respectively).

Valve action ensures that blood The Ventricular Valves

flows in the proper direction.
• The AV valves are the tricuspid on the right and
bicuspid on the left.
• They allow blood to flow from the atria into the
ventricles. This occurs when atria pressure is
greater than ventricular pressure, during
ventricular filling.
• During ventricular emptying, when ventricular
pressure exceeds atrial pressure, the AV valves
close. This prevents the blood from flowing
backwards.
• The AV valves are anchored by chordae tendineae
to papillary muscles.
• The other pair of valves are the semilunar,
pulmonary on the right and aortic on the left.
• They are forced open when the ventricular
pressures exceed the pressures in the
pulmonary arteries and aorta.
• The semilunar valves close when the pressure
in the ventricles falls below the pressures in
these vessels.
• This prevents arterial blood from flowing
backwards (back into the ventricles).

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 Valve opened Right atrium

Figure 9.4 When pressure is

greater behind the Chordae
Page 307 valve, it opens. tendineae

Right AV valve

Direction of
backflow of
blood Septum
Valve closed; does not open in opposite direction
When pressure is greater
in front of the valve, it Right
closes. Note that when ventricle
pressure is greater in
front of the valve, it
does not open in the Papillary
opposite direction; that muscle
is, it is a one-way valve.

Semi-lunar
Direction of backflow of blood
valves
Aorta

Leakproof
“seam”

Right AV valve
Tricuspid
Aortic
valve

Left AV valve
Bicuspid
Aortic or pulmonary valve
Semi-lunar valves

Right AV valve
Tricuspid
(Rear)
Fibrous
rings Heart The heart wall consists
Valves of three layers.
Left AV valve
Bicuspid

• The epicardium is the external membrane.

Thin outer membrane surrounds the heart
Aortic valve
Semi-lunar
• The myocardium is the middle layer.
The thick muscular wall of the heart
Pulmonary

Ventricular
Semi-lunar
Valve
• The endocardium is the inner layer.
myocardium
The tissue that lines the heart (endothelium).
(Front)

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 Figure 9.9 Myocardial fibers are connected
Page 310 •Cardiac muscle fibers are interconnected by
Pericardial
intercalated discs (gap junctions).
sac:
•They form a functional syncytia. That is: they
Outer fibrous covering function together as a unit (if one contracts,
they all contract—eventually).
Secretory
Heart lining •However, the atria function together as a unit
and the ventricles act together as a unit.
Pericardial cavity
filled with
pericardial fluid
•Therefore the atria contract prior to the
ventricles.

Plasma membranes of adjacent

cardiac muscle fibers
Desmosome
Contraction of the heart
•Besides intercalcated discs, the heart
(myocardium) also has some (special) myogenic
tissue.
•Certain parts (areas) of the heart have the ability
to self-depolarize (about 1% of total
myocardium).
•This 1% plays a key role in how and when the
heart contracts.
Action
Gap junction
potential •This tissue depolarizes at normal, regular cycles
Intercalated disc
and is called Auto-rhymthmicity.

Myocardial, Myogenic Tissue Other Myogenic Tissues

• There are three areas in the heart with myogenic • There are two other small groups of
properties. myocardial tissues with myogenic properties.
• Normal pacemaker activity is established by a – The AV Node (Atrial-Ventricular Node) located
small group of myogenic cells. between the atria and ventricles
• This pacemaker group is known as the SA Node – Purkinje Fibers located at the bottom (apex) of
(called the Sino-Atrial Node). both ventricles.
• It is located in the upper, right, front portion of the • All three areas are myogenic, but depolarize
right atrium. at different rates. Normally the SA node
• A heart rate governed by the SA node is called dominates.
normal sinus rhythm. • Therefore, it’s called the heart’s pacemaker.

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 Interatrial
pathway
Figure 9.11
Page 311
Atrioventricular
(AV) node
Sinoatrial
(SA) node

Right Left
atrium atrium

Internodal Left
pathway branch
of bundle
of His
Right Left
branch ventricle
of bundle
of His Right
ventricle Purkinje
fibers

Blood flow through the heart is directly Cardiac Blood Flow (con’t)
related to depolarizing activity (sequence).
•The AV Node sends the signal down special
•The SA node fires first. nerve fibers called the BUNDLE OF HIS to the
•The signal is spread to the right atrium via Purkinje fibers.
intercalcated discs and to the left atrium by inter-
atrial nerve fibers (interatrial pathway).
•The depolarizing signal then spreads from the
bottom (apex) of the ventricles up towards both
•The signal is delayed slightly when it reaches the
AV Node. (This is the only electrical connection arteries (Pulmonary Artery and Aorta).
between the atria and the ventricles). •This causes an efficient wringing (squeezing)
•This causes the atria to contract first (prior to the of the ventricles which produces and efficient
ventricles). emptying of the heart.

Interatrial pathway
Right atrium Left atrium
Efficient Cardiac Blood Flow
SA node •Since the Atria contract fully prior to the
ventricles, virtually all atrial blood empties into the
AV node
ventricles prior to ventricular contraction.
Internodal
pathway
•Due to the delay (AV Node) of the depolarizing
signal from the atria, the ventricles fill with blood
before contracting.
Purkinje
fibers
•Since the contraction impulse in the ventricles
Bundle
of His starts from the apex, a high degree of emptying
Electrical efficiency allows a large percentage of the
pathway through ventricular blood to be ejected from the heart with
the heart each beat. (but not all, there’s still some left)
Right ventricle Left ventricle

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 Passive filling during Atrial contraction Ventricular ejection Isovolumetric ventricular relaxation
ventricular and atrial diastole

Left
atrium
Right
atrium

Right Left
ventricle ventricle

B D E
A

Ventricular filling Ventricular emptying

Cardiac Filling & Emptying Cardiac Output (C.O.)

•C.O. is the amount of blood pumped per minute.
•There are two phases to cardiac activity: •C.O. is the product of the amount of blood
•Filling phase (relaxation) is called: pumped per beat (Stroke Volume/SV) times the
number of beats per minute (heart rate/HR).
DIASTOLE.
•C.O. = SV x HR (SV = 70 ml/b) (HR = 70bpm)
•Emptying phase (contraction) is called: •At rest C.O. = 70 x 70 = 4900ml/min or 5L/min
SYSTOLE •During exercise, C.O. can increase to 17-
20L/min
•How is this achieved?

Heart Rate Control Influences on the SA Node

•Normal resting heart rate is governed by the natural Heart rate

SA node rhythm. (intrinsic depolarization).
•However, the rate of depolarization can be increased
or decreased by outside influences. Parasympathetic
Sympathetic
Activity (Ach)
•Both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous (Direct)
Activity (direct
(and epinephrine)
systems can influence heart rate (and stroke volume).
•Sympathetic (both direct neural input and hormones)
increases both heart rate and contractility (SV).
•Parasympathetic neural activity decreases heart rate.

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 Stroke volume

End-diastolic volume
135 ml

Extrinsic
control Strength of
cardiac contraction

At Rest Stroke volume

Intrinsic control
70 ml

Sympathetic activity End-diastolic

(and epinephrine) volume

End-systolic volume
Intrinsic control 65 ml

Venous return

End-diastolic volume End-diastolic volume

175 ml
135 ml

Stroke volume
100 ml
With mild With heavy Stroke volume
exercise exercise 140 ml

End-systolic volume End-systolic volume

35 ml 35 ml

Cardiac output What’s the purpose of Cardiac

Output?
Heart rate Stroke volume •Cardiac output is the pumping of blood.
•Blood carries gases (02 & CO2), nutrients, wastes,
Extrinsic
control and other substances to and from all the body’s
Intrinsic control tissues.
Parasympathetic Sympathetic End-diastolic
•Blood is the medium for transport.
activity activity (and volume
epinephrine) •The blood vessels are the tubes (vascular network)
Intrinsic control
that allow the blood to get to and from the tissues.
•The next topic deals with the blood vessels.
Venous return