How Does the Circulatory System Work?
The circulatory system brings the body’s cells what they need to survive – oxygen and nutrients. Only the most primitive animals lack a circulatory system. The center of the circulatory, or cardiovascular system, is the heart, a powerful pump organ designed to beat many millions of times over the lifetime of an organism. The heart circulates blood throughout the veins and arteries. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart, providing it to tissues, then returning the depleted red bloods cells back to the heart through the veins for reoxygenation. All the body’s stationary cells are surrounded by interstitial fluid, also known as extracellular fluid, which is designed to draw oxygen and nutrients from red blood cells passing by. Red blood cells float in a medium called plasma which is similar to interstitial fluid, and makes up most of the volume of the blood, the primary fluid of the circulatory system. The largest artery in the human body is the aorta, running through the n
The heat pumps blood to your body through arteries, these arteries are a system of high pressure vessels that travel all over your body. When they reach the area that the supply (lets say your foot, for example) they branch several times until they become very small vessels called capillaries. These capillaries are where the oxygen from the blood is removed, and the blood then becomes deoxygenated, and then begins its journey back to the heart through the low pressure system of the veins. Once the veins reach the heart, the blood is pumped to the lungs where it becomes oxygen rich. It then travels back to the heart to restart the cycle back to the body.
Heart Your heart is the pump for your circulatory system. It is made of muscle and is able to contract in order to pump blood through your body. Arteries and Veins The arteries and veins are the roadways through which blood is transported to all parts of your body. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart to the rest of your body. Veins return the blood to the heart after the oxygen has been used. Oxygen Your body needs oxygen in order to function. When you walk, your leg muscles need increased amounts of oxygen in order to do their work. If the arteries in your lower body are able to carry blood unimpeded to your muscles, then you are able to walk comfortably. If you have blockages in your leg arteries, or in the arteries leading to the legs, you may not be able to get enough oxygen-rich blood down to your legs. The decrease in oxygen to your legs will often result in claudication.
