Essay On The Cardiovascular System

The cardiovascular system, also known as a circulatory system, is an organ system that permits blood to circulate and transport oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, hormones, and blood cell to and from the cells in the body to provided nourishment, help in fighting disease, stabilize temperature, and maintain homeostasis. The three components of the cardiovascular system are the heart, blood vessels, and blood. This system can be divided into two primary circulatory loops, the pulmonary circulation loop and the systemic circulation loop.

The cardiovascular system is powered by the body’s hardest-working organ, the heart. Being roughly the size of an adult males clenched fist, it contracts and relaxes about 70 to 80 times per minute pushing

The size of blood vessels corresponds with the amount of blood that passes through the vessel. All blood vessels contain a hollow area called the lumen through which blood is able to flow. Arteries have three layers of thick walls and carry blood away from the heart. The artery walls expand and contract, as the heart beats, this rhythm is called a pulse, propelling blood. The largest artery is the aorta, carrying blood to the rest of the body from the left ventricle. Arteries become arterioles, which eventually break up into a number of minute vessels called capillaries. Capillaries have thin walls and are the exchange point between blood and surrounding tissues. They have are also narrow, slowing the blood down to allow time for the diffusion of oxygen, vitamins, minerals, water and amino acid to cross through the cells that line the capillary into the tissue and carbon dioxide and other waste to leave the tissues into the blood. Veins carry blood from the capillaries to the heart. Pressure in veins are low, so they depend on muscle contractions to move blood along and have valves to stop back flow. The largest vein is the vena cava, and provided the entry point for deoxygenated blood to enter into the right