Definition of cardiovascular system The cardiovascular system is responsible for transporting nutrients and removing gaseous waste from the body. This system is comprised of the heart and the circulatory system. Structures of the cardiovascular system include the heart, blood vessel, and blood. The lymphatic system is also closely associated with the cardiovascular system.

Structures of the system Heart The heart is the organ that supplies blood and oxygen to all parts of the body. This amazing muscle produces electrical impulses through a process called cardiac conduction. These impulses cause the heart to contract and then relax, producing what is known as a heart beat. The beating of the heart drives the cardiac cycle which pumps blood to cells and tissue of the body.

Continued Blood Vessels are intricate networks of hollow tubes that transport blood throughout the entire body. Blood travels from the heart via arteries to smaller arterioles, then to capillaries or sinusoids, to venules, to veins and back to the heart. Through the process of microcirculation, substances such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and wastes are exchanged between the blood and the fluid that surrounds cells.

Blood The blood delivers nutrients to cells and removes wastes that are produced during cellular processes, such as cellular respiration. The blood is composed of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma.

The lymphatic system works closely with other body systems such as the immune system and the cardiovascular system. Lymphatic structures filter blood removing microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses, as well as cellular debris and waste. Once filtered, the blood is returned to the circulatory system. Lymph fluid, also called interstitial fluid, bathes tissues and helps to deliver nutrients and oxygen to cells.

Pulmonary circulation transports deoxygenated blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs, where the blood picks up oxygen and returns to the left side of the heart. The pumping chambers of the heart that support the pulmonary circulation loop are the right atrium and right ventricle.

Systemic circulation carries highly oxygenated blood from the left side of the heart to all of the tissues of the body (with the exception of the heart and lungs). Systemic circulation removes wastes from body tissues and returns deoxygenated blood to the right side of the heart. The left atrium and left ventricle of the heart are the pumping chambers for the systemic circulation loop.