THE

CARDIOVASCULAR
SYSTEM

Arianna Alfano| Lara Paolino

Human Biology (Mod G)

 As it is known, for all living organisms, the cell is the building block of life. Thus, as this

definition implies, life does not stop at the cell. In fact, with the human body being composed of

nearly 40 trillion cells, the concept that life is dependent on cells functioning together as tissues

and organs in organ systems in order to compose entire, functioning eukaryotic organisms is

quite conspicuous. Specifically, the human body is comprised of eleven organ systems, and,

while it is difficult to rank their importance to each individual, many would agree that among the

most important components of the human body is the cardiovascular system. With this system

including the heart, the arteries, the capillaries, the veins, and the blood, there is no doubt that it

is a system that spreads its influence across the entirety of the body and works vigorously to

allow for proper functioning of it. Therefore, being that the cardiovascular system is composed

of a multitude of organs and tissues which are widespread throughout the body and plays a key

role in transportation and regulation, it most certainly can be said that the cardiovascular system

is an exceptionally significant body system in human beings.

The cardiovascular system is an essential aspect of the human body and, ultimately, this

concept is determined by the structure of the organs that make up this life-giving aspect of the

organism. Specifically, the heart’s complex structure is what allows for it to perform its essential

functions. The heart, itself, is about the size of a fist, weighs over 10 ounces, and has a wall

consisting of 3 layers: the epicardium, the myocardium, and the endocardium. The first,

outermost layer of the heart wall, the epicardium, consists primarily of loose connective tissue. It

functions to protect the inner layers of the heart wall as well as allows for the production of

pericardial fluid in which the heart sits. The middle layer of the heart wall is the myocardium.

This layer is composed of muscle tissue and allows for the heart to be a thickly-lined organ

which contracts and pumps blood. Finally, the innermost layer is the endocardium, which is

composed of smooth muscle and elastic fibers. This layer lines the heart and has the primary

function of preventing blood from clotting within the organ. Thus, by its wall alone, the heart has
a number of structures which allow for it to be a center for transport. Additionally, it has an

asymmetrical shape due to the uneven distances the blood must travel in the pulmonary and

systemic divisions of the circulatory system. In appearance alone, one may be able to identify

that the right side of the heart is responsible for the transportation of blood to the pulmonary

circuit, and the left side moves blood out to the entire body in the systemic circuit, being that the

right side of the heart is the definitively smaller “half.” These “halves” or “sides” are separated

by a thick muscular wall considered the septum. While this is all incredibly important in

understanding the cardiovascular system, the structure of the heart goes far beyond this basic

analysis of it. By definition, the heart is a muscular pump consisting of four chambers. The atria

are the two upper chambers of the heart, responsible for receiving blood, which is returning from

other body organs, from the veins. This upper section of the heart is thinner, less muscular, and

smaller than the lower portion of this essential organ. The ventricles, on the other hand, are the

lower chambers of the heart, which are responsible for actually pumping blood through the

arteries to be received by various organs in the body. Being that these lower chambers are

responsible for pushing the blood out of the heart for circulation, it is only logical that it

maintains a larger and more muscular structure than the atria do. A common feature amongst

these chambers is that they both include valves—fibrous tissue flaps existing in cardiac

chambers between veins that allow for unidirectional flow and prevent the improper backflow of

blood. There are four principal valves in the heart which are divided into two subcategories. The

atrioventricular valves are those which are present in the ventricles and atria. These such valves

in the heart include the tricuspid valve and the mitral valve. Meanwhile, the other division of

valves include the semilunar valves, valves such as the aortic valve and pulmonary valve, which

exist between the large arteries and ventricles.

Aside from the heart, the cardiovascular system is also composed of other organs which

allow for its overall function. The blood vessels, including arteries, veins, and capillaries, can be
considered tubular organs which act as channels through which blood travels to other parts of the

body. Arteries, particularly, are thick-walled vessels which carry blood away from the heart.

Their structure is their basis for being so strong and thick. In fact, it has been found that their

wall consists of three layers, just as the heart does. The innermost layer is considered the tunica

intima. This layer consists of connective tissue and elastic fibers which surround simple

squamous epithelium. Following this, the middle layer, considered the tunica media, is composed

of primarily smooth muscle, which allows for it to provide support for the vessel as well as alter

the diameter of the vessel to regulate blood flow and blood pressure. Finally, the outermost layer

is called the tunica externa, a layer of the artery wall composed of connective tissue, as well as

elastic and collagenous fibers. Similarly, the veins, while being blood vessels that conduct blood

toward the heart away from the body’s tissues, are organized with the same three layers.

However, their structure is much thinner and less sturdy when compared to arteries in that they

have significantly less smooth muscle and connective tissue in their formation. While this may

seem to make them more ineffective, as compared to arteries, it, in reality, allows for them to

carry even more blood. Lastly, the capillaries vary the most in structure as compared to the other

blood vessels. Capillaries are only about 2.5 micrometers in radius and are comprised of only 2

layers of cells: the inner layer of endothelial cells and the outermost layer of epithelial cells.

However, while only technically comprised of two layers, the capillaries are given structural

support through a surrounding basement layer of protein. Overall, one can clearly identify, with

the inclusion of both the heart and the multiple types of blood vessels, that the cardiovascular

system is incredibly complex, but it is interconnected in such a way that allows for smooth

functioning of the cardiovascular system.

With the system’s complicated and unique organ structures comes an interesting, but

somewhat simple, way in which they are all interconnected. Being that the heart is known for

circulation, it would only make sense that each organ is directly connected to each other, each
fusing into one another to form a cohesive system. In fact, it is true that stemming from the heart

comes the main arteries and veins, principally the vena cava and the aorta. The arteries stem out,

branching into smaller and smaller variations to form arterioles, which help to regulate blood

flow into the capillaries. After the blood passes through the capillaries, it is met with the smallest

veins, venules, to which it is transferred. These progressively get larger until finally reaching the

heart. Therefore, the entire system definitely ties in structurally which is what allows for its

functions of transport and regulation in the body. In the case of transport, nutrients, oxygen, and

hormones are moved throughout the body by following the path of the blood. This process is just

the same for the removal of metabolic wastes such as carbon dioxide. Essentially, the process of

pulmonary circulation begins with deoxygenated blood in the body moving through the vena

cava to, eventually, the lungs where it becomes oxygen-rich and makes its way back to the heart,

where systemic circulation can then occur. In this case, oxygen-rich blood is pumped through the

aorta to the various parts of the body where the oxygenated blood is distributed. The now

deoxygenated blood then returns to the heart where the cycle of circulation begins again.

Additionally, through diffusion, blood can carry nutrients, waste, and hormones throughout the

body which allows for proper functioning of human beings. Aside from the system of transport,

the organs of the cardiovascular system also work together in terms of regulation of the body.

For instance, through means of dilation of the blood vessels, the body can rid of excess heat

through the skin, allowing for sweating mechanisms to activate and body temperature to be

regulated. Therefore, the cardiovascular system is definitely an intricate system that performs a

variety of functions due to the elaborate and well-established meshing together of its organs.

Of course, however, the functions of the organs together would not be possible without

the metabolic processes that take place in each individual organ. The heart is a complex working

organ with many parts and has many aspects to it, such as electric impulses. The heartbeat is

regulated through electrical impulses passing through the cells. In the heart, there are two types
of cells that aid in carrying out the electrical impulses: conducting cells and muscle cells.

Conducting cells are the cells in the heart that carry out the heart’s electrical signal. Meanwhile,

the muscle cells are the parts of the heart that allow for the electrical cells to do their job by

enabling the chambers of the heart to contract. The electrical currents from the cells are able to

complete their job and stimulate heartbeats through “the network of conducting cell ‘pathways.’”

The “pathway” acts as a means of complex travel for the electrical currents to flow from one cell

to the next. This enables the electrical currents to travel to all the cells needed to create a

heartbeat. The SA node and the atria are key factors in the process of producing heartbeats. The

SA node is what sends an electrical pulse that flows through muscle cells to the left and right

atria that then triggers the muscles in the atria to contract. The contracting of the muscles allows

for the blood to flow and pump throughout the left and right ventricles. Then these signals are

sent to the atrioventricular node (the AV) at the lower section of the heart. The AV works to

slow down the electrical currents that are flowing, which allows the ventricles to pump the blood

from the atria properly. The electrical signals then leave to the following factor, the ventricles.

Following the electrical currents flowing to the ventricles, the electrical current travels down the

bundle of His—a specific bundle of conducting cells. This bundle of cells is able to divide the

signal into two branches. The different branches go in two different directions—to the left

ventricle and to the right ventricle. The two branches also divide and break up. The conducting

fibers are the next place the electrical current is sent, which causes the spreading of the currents

throughout the left and right ventricles. In turn, this causes the muscle cells to contract the

ventricles. These contractions lead to different jobs being performed by the two ventricles. The

right ventricle takes care of sending blood to the lungs while the left ventricle takes care of

sending the blood everywhere else in the body. After the atria and the ventricles complete

contracting, the system electrically resets itself. The metabolic processes of the heart can also be

seen through chemical signals. Multiple parts of the body, which include the brain, help to
stimulate how fast or slow the heart will beat. The chemical signals alert the SA nodes to send

charges at slower or faster paces, which then causes a change in the speed of the heartbeat. When

the body is exercising, heart rate will speed up to get the blood pumping faster and to allow for

the oxygen to circulate. During rest, however, the heart regulates its beats to a lesser number,

seeing as the body needs less oxygen. Finally, the cardiovascular system can also help control

blood pressure; the vessels in the heart are responsible for this. When the blood vessels expand

and constrict, it allows for the vessels to regulate the amount of blood that is being pumped to the

tissues. Chemical signals help control the smooth muscle cells that line the vessels. The actions

of the vessels expanding and contracting are not controlled voluntarily, which demonstrates the

need for chemical reactions. Essentially, chemical signals determine if the vessels relax or

contract. Additionally, through the expansion and constriction of the blood vessels in regulating

blood distribution, the body maintains homeostasis. Homeostasis is being maintained with the

excess heat being pushed out through the skin (sweating) which is caused by the dilation of

vessels.

From understanding the functions of each organ and the ways in which they, together,

work to allow for human bodies to prosper, it becomes more comprehensible that any sort of

malfunction within the body system will lead to unfortunate circumstances and, overall, tragedy.

According to a number of sources, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United

States, and while there are many reasons for its appearance in the body, inflammation of the

heart muscle is one cause of it. This, therefore, implies that as a result of the heart’s unnecessary

reaction of inflammation, a malfunction, some individuals have to suffer with this horrendous

and deadly disease. Worse yet, a malfunction with the cardiovascular system may result in death

directly. Blood flow is necessary for all parts of the body to maintain the oxygen and nutrients it

needs to carry on life. When blood is cut off anywhere, especially the brain, it can only result in

negative consequences. In the case of a stroke, where a blood vessel may have burst or a vessel is
blocked in the neck, which prevents blood getting to the brain, parts of the brain will be deprived

of oxygen leading to permanent disability, if not death. Additionally, death may suddenly occur

in the case of a heart attack. When the heart’s supply of blood is suddenly halted or severely

reduced, possibly due to atherosclerosis, one’s heart may be permanently damaged if he/ she

survives the heart attack. This further proves that the cardiovascular system plays an essential

role in its providing of oxygenated blood to the body and, without its proper functioning, the

worst possible scenarios may play out. Finally, and most seriously, a malfunction in the

cardiovascular system may lead to abdominal aortic aneurysms. These are the direct result of

weakened aortas, and, with the aorta being such a large, principal blood vessel, the rupture of it

can cause heavy bleeding which can quickly become life-threatening. Ultimately, whether it is

living in discomfort or acting as a direct cause of death, a malfunction of any part of the

cardiovascular system may quickly become problematic to one’s health—furthering the

argument of how the cardiovascular system is, in fact, one of the most essential body systems in

human beings.

Overall, the intricate structure of the cardiovascular system allows for many functions to

take place all across the human body. As it is defined, the cardiovascular system is the body

system consisting of the heart and blood vessels which allows transportation and regulation

within the body. Through dissecting this system in its individual parts and then as a whole, this

definition can certainly be considered true. From analyzing the heart, the layers its walls are

made up of and the chambers and valves of which it is composed, it is easily identifiable that the

blood, the fluid tissue that is the factor that actually allows for the cardiovascular system’s

transportation feature, would not be organized in a way that would effectively distribute

unoxygenated and oxygenated blood cyclically if not for the heart. It is also true that the blood

would not be moving at all if not for the myocardium within the heart’s wall. However, as it has

been established, the heart is not the only important aspect of the cardiovascular system. Through
the blood vessels, the blood is able to travel all across the body and truly live up to its name as a

means of transportation and regulation. If not for these vessels, pulmonary and systemic

circulation could not occur by any means. As well, regulation of the body’s temperature would

be increasingly difficult. Thus, this system is truly extraordinary when observed as the sum of its

parts. With the individual metabolic processes that take place in each organ yet interdependency

that lies amongst the entire system, the cardiovascular system can certainly be considered an

incredibly important organ system and is a primary reason that every human being alive today is

able to function.
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