Heart pumping System and its Components
Introduction:
The different organs associated with this system in humans include the heart, lungs, blood vessels, capillaries and blood. The heart is the pumping organ that squirts blood out. The heart does this with so much pressure that it can squirt blood to a height of up to 9 meters. It never stops and continually beats so blood is able to travel to all parts of the body.
Your blood transports oxygen, carbon dioxide, digested food, hormones and even waste products through these blood vessels.
Blood
Blood is a major connective tissue to the fluid. It is composed primarily of plasma and blood cells. There are three blood cell types, namely red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in the blood. The RBC's have haemoglobin, a complex protein that contains iron. The WBCs are the cells that help with disease fighting and attack any foreign bodies in the blood. The blood platelets are the ones that help blood clotting.
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There is a phenomenon occurring in human beings called double circulation which is an efficient way. The heart pumps the blood, and travels to different organs through the different blood vessels and then returns to the heart again. Now, this blood flow in humans takes place in two ways, called the pulmonary pathway and the systemic pathway.
This system ensures the deoxygenated blood (blood containing carbon dioxide) from the right side of the heart goes into the lungs where gaseous exchange takes place. Blood gets filled with lung oxygen, and carbon dioxide is supplied to the lungs (from where it exits the body). The oxygenated blood then travels to all other parts of the body from the left side of the heart.
The double circulation seen here ensures that oxygenated blood and deoxygenated blood don't mix. The body cells also have an efficient supply of oxygen, and a higher rate of blood flow in the body.
Heart
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A muscular, four - chambered organ, the human heart is. The two upper chambers called the right atrium and the left atrium, and the two lower chambers called ventricles from left and right. The right atrium and the right ventricle can together be called the right heart. Together the left atrium with the left ventricle can be called the left heart. Both heart chambers are divided from each other by muscular walls called septum.
Blood Vessels
The principal vessels of the blood are the arteries and veins. These are linked by a network of smaller, capillary vessels. Veins carry deoxygenated blood to the right side of the heart while arteries carry oxygenated blood to different parts of the body away from the heart.
Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system functions as a subsystem of the circulatory system in humans and in vertebrates. It has a role to play in human transportation, too. Lymph is a special fluid called a fluid in the tissue. It plays a role in the nutrient and gaseous exchange process that occurs via blood. Any residual excess fluid in the cells and tissues is absorbed by the lymph and drained into the blood-carrying venes.
FAQs on Heart - Pump of The Circulatory System
1. What is the primary role of the heart as a pump in the human circulatory system?
The heart acts as a muscular, double pump. Its primary role is to create the pressure needed to propel blood throughout the body via a network of blood vessels. It pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs for oxygenation and then pumps the newly oxygenated blood to all other body tissues to supply oxygen and nutrients.
2. What is the step-by-step path of blood flow through the heart, explaining double circulation?
Blood flows through the heart in a specific sequence known as double circulation. The path is as follows:
- Deoxygenated blood from the body enters the right atrium.
- It flows into the right ventricle.
- The right ventricle pumps it to the lungs via the pulmonary artery.
- In the lungs, the blood releases CO2 and picks up oxygen.
- Oxygenated blood returns to the left atrium via the pulmonary veins.
- It then flows into the left ventricle.
- The powerful left ventricle pumps the oxygenated blood to the rest of the body through the aorta.
3. Which chamber of the heart is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to the entire body?
The left ventricle is the chamber responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to the entire body. It is the largest and most muscular chamber of the heart because it must generate enough force to push blood to all tissues, from the head to the toes.
4. Why is the human circulatory system called a "double circulation" system, and what is its significance?
It is called a double circulation system because blood passes through the heart twice for each complete circuit of the body. This system consists of two distinct pathways:
- Pulmonary Circulation: The path of deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs and the return of oxygenated blood to the left atrium.
- Systemic Circulation: The path of oxygenated blood from the left ventricle to all body tissues and the return of deoxygenated blood to the right atrium.
5. What is the difference between systole and diastole in the cardiac cycle?
Systole and diastole are the two phases of the cardiac cycle, which constitutes one heartbeat.
- Systole is the phase of contraction. During this phase, the heart chambers (atria and then ventricles) contract to pump blood out. Ventricular systole is when blood is ejected into the aorta and pulmonary artery.
- Diastole is the phase of relaxation. During this phase, the heart chambers relax and fill with blood.
6. How do the heart's valves ensure one-way blood flow during its pumping action?
The heart's four valves (tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral, and aortic) are crucial for ensuring unidirectional (one-way) blood flow. They act like gates that open and close in response to pressure changes within the chambers. When a chamber contracts (systole), the pressure forces the exit valve to open, allowing blood to be pumped out, while simultaneously forcing the entrance valve to shut, preventing blood from flowing backward. This mechanism is essential for the heart to function efficiently as a pump.
7. Can the heart be considered two separate pumps working together? Explain this concept.
Yes, conceptually, the heart can be described as two pumps working in parallel.
- The right side of the heart (right atrium and ventricle) acts as the pulmonary circuit pump. It receives deoxygenated blood from the body and pumps it only to the lungs.
- The left side of the heart (left atrium and ventricle) acts as the systemic circuit pump. It receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the rest of the body.
8. What are the main components of the circulatory system that work with the heart?
The heart is the central pump, but it works with several other key components in the circulatory system:
- Blood Vessels: These are the tubes through which blood travels. They include arteries (carrying blood away from the heart), veins (carrying blood toward the heart), and capillaries (tiny vessels where oxygen and nutrient exchange occurs).
- Blood: The fluid connective tissue that transports oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and waste products.
- Lymphatic System: This system works alongside the circulatory system to drain excess fluid from tissues and return it to the bloodstream.
