1 Circulatory System Overview Free Online FlashCards

What are the three main components of the circulatory system?

The heart, blood, and blood vessels form a closed network that circulates blood to deliver materials to tissues and carry wastes away.

How do the roles of atria and ventricles differ?

Atria are the upper chambers that receive blood; ventricles are the lower chambers that pump blood out.

What is the role of heart valves?

Heart valves help keep blood moving in one direction.

Trace blood flow through the heart, lungs, and body.

Blood returns from the body to the right atrium, then passes to the right ventricle and travels to the lungs. It returns to the left atrium, passes to the left ventricle, and is pumped to the body.

What route does pulmonary circulation follow?

Pulmonary circulation carries blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs and then to the left side of the heart.

What route does systemic circulation follow?

Systemic circulation carries blood from the left side of the heart to body tissues and back to the right side of the heart.

What defines an artery, regardless of its oxygen content?

Arteries carry blood away from the heart. They are named by flow direction, not oxygen content; pulmonary arteries carry oxygen-poor blood to the lungs.

Where does material exchange between blood and tissues occur?

Capillaries have very thin walls where oxygen, nutrients, and wastes move between blood and surrounding tissues.

What are the roles of arterioles and venules?

Arterioles are small arteries that direct blood into capillary networks; venules collect blood leaving capillaries.

What do veins do, and how can their valves help?

Veins return blood to the heart. Many, particularly in the limbs, have valves that help prevent backward flow.

What is plasma, and what does it carry?

Plasma is the liquid portion of blood. It carries water, salts, proteins, nutrients, hormones, and dissolved wastes.

What gases do red blood cells help transport?

Red blood cells carry most oxygen from the lungs to tissues and help transport carbon dioxide back toward the lungs.