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Overview of Circulation
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this chapter, the student should be able to answer the following questions:
- 1
How does the arrangement of heart and vessels enable unidirectional flow of well-oxygenated blood to the body?
- 2
How do the differing compositions (smooth muscle, fibrous and elastic tissue) of blood vessels contribute to their respective functions?
- 3
How does the blood pressure change throughout the circulatory system? How do these changes arise, and what is their general importance in cardiovascular function?
- 4
How does total cross-sectional area of the systemic vascular system change, and what is the significance of this?
The circulatory system transports and distributes essential substances to tissues and removes metabolic by-products. This system also participates in homeostatic mechanisms such as regulation of body temperature, maintenance of fluid balance, and adjustment of O 2 and nutrient supply in various physiological states. The cardiovascular system, which accomplishes these tasks, is composed of a pump (the heart), a series of distributing and collecting tubes (blood vessels), and an extensive system of thin vessels (capillaries) that enable rapid exchange between the tissues and vascular channels. Blood vessels throughout the body are filled with a heterogeneous fluid (blood) that is essential for the transport processes performed by the heart and blood vessels. This chapter is a general, functional overview of the heart and blood vessels, whose functions are analyzed in much greater detail in subsequent chapters.
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