The Blood Circulatory System Essay Example for Free

The Blood Circulatory System Essay The Circulatory system is a system in the bodies of all organisms that moves the nutrients that are needed as well as gases and wastes to and from cells and helps fight unwanted bacteria and other diseases. It also helps alleviate the body temperature to maintain homeostasis, which is the property of either an open system or a closed system in a living organism. It brings the body’s cells what they need in order to survive – oxygen and nutrients. The center of the circulatory system, also known as the cardiovascular system, is the heart. The heart is one of the main components in this system. The heart pumps oxygenated blood and the tubes, also known as blood vessels, carries the oxygenated blood to every cell in the body and is then returned to the heart as deoxygenated blood. The main components of the human circulatory system are the heart, the blood, the blood vessels, and the platelets. The heart’s job is to pump blood and keep the blood moving throughout your entire body. There’s a thick layer of muscle called myocardium that contract and squeeze out blood. In the heart, there is the atrium – the part that receives the blood – and the ventricle, which pumps blood out of the heart. There are four chambers in total: left atrium, left ventricle, right atrium, and right ventricle. The left-hand side of the heart pumps blood from the lungs to the rest of your body. This is known as the systemic circulation. The right-hand side pumps blood from the heart to the lungs and this is known as the pulmonary circulation. Blood is the fluid that constantly flows throughout our bodies. The blood carries nutrients, water, oxygen, and waste products to and from the body cells. There are two types of blood cells: the red blood cell which is responsible for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide and the white blood cell which helps the body fight off and attack germs, foreign substances, and unwanted bacteria. The heart pumps blood through the blood vessels. The blood vessels lead away from the heart and enter the tissues, then return to the heart. There are three types of blood vessels. The first are the arteries which are large vessels that carry blood from the heart to the tissues. Arteries then branch into smaller and smaller vessels, ultimately becoming capillaries. Capillaries (smallest of the blood vessels) bring nutrients and oxygen to the tissues and pick up carbon dioxide and other waste products. Capillaries then merge to form larger vessels, called venules, which merge to form even larger vessels called veins. The veins return blood to the heart. Because we only want blood to run in one direction, veins have valves, which ensure that the blood keeps moving in the direction we want it to, towards the heart. Platelets are cells that help stop the bleeding when an organism, usually humans, receives a cut or a wound anywhere on their body. Platelets stick to the opening of the damaged blood vessels. As they stick to the opening, more platelets, fibers and other blood cells will come and help heal the broken blood vessel. Some chemicals found in blood are hemoglobin and plasma. Hemoglobin is the chemical substance in the red cells that is involved in the transport of oxygen. Plasma is the liquid part of the blood, in which the blood cells are suspended. Approximately half of your blood is made of plasma. The plasma carries the blood cells and other components throughout the body. Diseases in the circulatory system include the cardiovascular disease which refers to the divisions of diseases that involve the heart or the blood vessels – arteries and veins and the congenital heart defect which is a defect in the structure of the heart and vessels of a newborn baby. Most heart defects either barricade the blood flow in the heart or vessels or cause to flow through the heart in an abnormal pattern. Other diseases or disorders are high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. Like most other disorders, it is easier to prevent than cure cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) disorders. It is of extreme importance that the circulatory system is kept healthy. In order to keep this system healthy, it is best to exercise daily and maintain a healthy diet that does not consist of too much cholesterol and fatty foods such as junk food and fast food.