1. Circulatory System Notes
Major Parts
A. Heart
1. Main Purpose: to pump
blood throughout the body
2. It’s the size of your fist
3. Electric sparks cause your heart to contract
4. An artificial timer is called a pacemaker
5. Has 4 chambers
6. Valves keep the blood flowing in one direction
Heart Video

2. 7. Septum separates the left and right sides of the heart
8. Pericardium is the protective outer layer of the heart
B. Blood: made in the bone marrow
1. Blood pressure is a measure of how hard blood is pressing against your blood vessels
2. Normal Blood Pressure is 120/80
a. Top number is systolic, ventricle pumping
b. Bottom number is diastolic, ventricle resting Blood Pressure Video

3. C. Blood Vessels: 3 types
1. Arteries carry blood away from the heart
a. The aorta is the body’s largest artery
2. Veins carry blood to the heart
a. The vena cava is the major vein that brings blood to the heart
3. Capillaries connect veins and
arteries and allow nutrients to pass in
and out Blood Vessel Video

4. D. Blood Parts
1. Plasma
a. Liquid part made mostly of water
b. 55% of blood is plasma
c. Carries digested food and cell wastes
2. Red Blood Cells
a. Job is to pick up oxygen and nutrients and carry them to the body’s cells
b. They live for days
c. Produced (made) in the bone marrow

5. 3. White Blood Cells
a. Job is to fight germs inside your body
b. They produce antibodies which kill germs
c. Produced in the spleen and lymph nodes
4. Platelets
a. Job is to help blood clot
b. Produced in bone cells in bone marrow
c. Fibrinogen is a substance that causes platelets to stick together

6. E. Other Important Organs
1. lungs: give blood oxygen
2. stomach: intestines leak nutrients into capillaries
3. spleen: creates new white blood cells
4. kidneys: removes waste from blood
5. liver: controls blood sugar, gets rid of poisons, stores nutrients, makes plasma

7. Blood Types
A. Type O blood
1. called the universal donor
2. 43% of people have Type O blood
3. has no antigens so it can be donated to all other types
B. Type A blood
1. has the A antigen
2. 40% of people have Type A blood

8. C. Type B blood
1. Has the B antigen
2. 12% of people have Type B blood
D. Type AB blood
1. called the universal recipient
2. 5 % of people have Type AB blood
3. has both A and B antigens

9. Heart Disease
A. Number #1 killer of people in the US
B. There are 8 causes:
1. heredity
2. smoking
3. excessive drinking
4. high blood pressure
5. lack of exercise
6. stress
7. high fat foods
8. high cholesterol Heart Disease Video

10. C. Atherosclerosis: a fatty build up in the arteries which can decrease blood flow and cause a heart attack.
1. Treatments (mild case)
a. low fat diet
b. medication
c. moderate exercise
2. Treatments (severe case)
a. Angioplasty
b. Bypass surgery

11. C. Heart Attack: happens when part of the heart muscles dies when an artery gets clogs.
1. Some warning signs are:
a. chest pain that shoots down the left
arm
b. nausea
c. dizziness
d. shortness of
breath
e. sweating

12. 1. Angioplasty uses a deflated balloon to open up a clogged artery.
D. Heart Procedures
1. Angioplasty uses a deflated balloon to open up a clogged artery.
a. The balloon stretches the walls of the vessel so the blood can flow through easily.
Angioplasty Video
2. Bypass Surgery is performed when there is a blockage in a major artery.
a. A vein is used to replace the blocked artery. It is attached to the aorta and the blocked artery.
b. This surgery allows blood to skip the blocked part of the artery. Heart Bypass Video

13. Circulatory Condition Varicose Veins
Causes: veins in legs swell causing blood to pool in the veins.
Symptoms: swollen veins & painful legs
Diagnosis/Treatment: visual diagnosis and surgery to remove the damaged vein
Prevention: exercising, no smoking, avoid standing for long periods of time varicose veins

14. Circulatory Condition stroke
Causes: a small vessel in the brain bursts which is caused by a blocked artery
Symptoms: numbness on one side of the body, headaches, dizziness & loss of balance
Diagnosis/Treatment: diagnosis depends on symptoms & treatments are speech therapy, PT, OT
Prevention: exercising, no smoking, good diet
stroke test

15. Circulatory Condition anemia
Causes: too few red blood cells, decrease in iron
Symptoms: tiredness, fatigue, weakness, cold hands and feet
Diagnosis/Treatment: blood test to diagnose & treatment with iron supplements & high iron diet
Prevention: good balanced diet anemia

16. Circulatory Condition Leukemia
Causes: form of cancer where white blood cells multiply very quickly and do not work properly
Symptoms: weight loss, fever, bleeding, easy bruising, and swollen lymph nodes
Diagnosis/Treatment: blood test to diagnose & treatment is a bone marrow transplant
Prevention: no prevention leukemia animation