🫠 CIRCULATORY SYSTEM – DETAILED NOTES
📌 I. Overview of the Circulatory System
✅ Definition:
The circulatory system (also known as the cardiovascular system) is the
body’s transport network that moves blood, oxygen, nutrients,
hormones, and waste products throughout the body.
✅ Main Functions:
Delivers oxygen from the lungs to tissues.
Removes carbon dioxide and other metabolic wastes.
Transports nutrients from digestion to cells.
Circulates hormones for regulation.
Supports the immune system by transporting white blood cells.
Regulates body temperature and pH balance.
🧠 II. Main Components of the Circulatory System
1. Heart
Muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the body.
Located in the chest cavity slightly to the left side.
Divided into 4 chambers:
o Right Atrium
o Right Ventricle
o Left Atrium
o Left Ventricle
Works through electrical impulses from the sinoatrial (SA) node,
acting as a natural pacemaker.
💡 Cardiac Cycle:
Systole = heart contracts and pumps blood.
Diastole = heart relaxes and fills with blood.
2. Blood Vessels
Tubes that carry blood throughout the body.
🔴 a. Arteries
Carry oxygenated blood away from the heart.
Exception: Pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood to the
lungs.
Thick, muscular walls to withstand pressure.
🔵 b. Veins
Carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart.
Exception: Pulmonary vein carries oxygenated blood from the lungs.
Have valves to prevent backflow.
♻️c. Capillaries
Microscopic vessels connecting arteries and veins.
Site of gas exchange (O₂ and CO₂), nutrient exchange, and waste
removal.
Thin walls (one-cell thick) for easy diffusion.
3. Blood
A connective tissue that circulates in vessels.
🩸 Components:
Component Function
Red Blood Cells (RBCs) Transport oxygen using
hemoglobin.
White Blood Cells (WBCs) Fight infection and disease.
Platelets Help in blood clotting.
Plasma Fluid part, carries nutrients,
hormones, and wastes.
🔀 III. Types of Circulation
1. Systemic Circulation
Blood flows from the heart to the body (except lungs) and back.
Left ventricle → body → right atrium.
2. Pulmonary Circulation
Blood flows from the heart to the lungs and back.
Right ventricle → lungs → left atrium.
Enables gas exchange (oxygen in, CO₂ out).
3. Coronary Circulation
Supplies oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle itself via coronary
arteries.
4. Portal Circulation
Connects the digestive organs to the liver.
Allows nutrient-rich blood from the intestines to be processed by the
liver.
🧺 IV. Health and Diseases of the Circulatory System
✅ Keeping It Healthy:
Regular exercise
Balanced diet (low in saturated fats and salt)
No smoking
Managing stress and weight
Controlling blood pressure and cholesterol
❗ Common Diseases:
Condition Description
Hypertension (High BP) Increased pressure in arteries, risks
stroke or heart failure.
Atherosclerosis Buildup of fatty plaques in arteries,
restricting blood flow.
Heart Attack (Myocardial Blocked blood flow to the heart muscle,
Infarction) causing tissue death.
Stroke Interrupted blood supply to the brain.
Heart Failure Heart can’t pump efficiently.
Arrhythmias Irregular heartbeats due to electrical
signal issues.
Varicose Veins Swollen veins due to valve failure in legs.
📘 Interesting Facts
The heart beats around 100,000 times per day.
The circulatory system includes about 96,000 km of blood vessels!
Blood makes up about 7-8% of your body weight.
♻️Flow of Blood – Summary Pathway
1. Body → deoxygenated blood enters Right Atrium
2. → Right Ventricle
3. → via Pulmonary Artery to Lungs (gas exchange)
4. → oxygenated blood returns to Left Atrium
5. → Left Ventricle
6. → pumped via Aorta to rest of the body