ACTIVITY 3 – CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

The circulatory system, sometimes referred to as the cardiovascular system, is an intricate network that makes it easier for the body to carry waste products, gasses, nutrients, and blood throughout it. It is made up of blood, arteries, veins, and capillaries, as well as the heart. By guaranteeing that every area of the body gets oxygen and nutrients and assisting in the elimination of carbon dioxide and metabolic waste, this system is essential to preserving homeostasis.

Spleen
Situated slightly below the rib cage in the upper left section of the abdomen, the spleen is a sizable lymphoid organ. It is involved in blood filtration and the body’s defense mechanisms in several ways. It has two primary types of tissue inside: red pulp and white pulp. Structurally, it is encased in a fibrous capsule. While the white pulp contributes to the immune response by creating lymphocytes and antibodies to combat infection, the red pulp serves as a filter, eliminating aging or damaged red blood cells and recycling iron. In addition, the spleen serves as a blood reservoir, holding additional blood that is ready to be discharged into the bloodstream as necessary, like in the event of a hemorrhage.

Vein
Blood travels through veins to go to the heart. With the exception of the pulmonary and umbilical veins, which return oxygenated blood to the heart, the majority of veins transport deoxygenated blood from the tissues. The thinner walls of veins set them apart from arteries, as do valves that guarantee blood flows only in one direction—that is, toward the heart. Veins depend on muscular contractions and the valves inside their walls to help return blood to the heart because the pressure inside them is substantially lower than that of arteries.

Vena Cava
The two largest veins in the body, the vena cava, are in charge of returning deoxygenated blood to the heart from the body. The superior and inferior vena cava are the two categories into which they are separated. Blood from the head, neck, upper limbs, and upper torso is collected by the superior vena cava and sent to the right atrium of the heart. The bigger of the two, the inferior vena cava, collects blood from the lower body, including the abdomen and lower limbs, and sends it to the right atrium. These blood arteries are essential to the systemic circulation because they make sure that blood is efficiently returned to the heart so that it may be reoxygenated in the lungs.

Artery
Strong and elastic, arteries transport blood from the heart to other areas of the body. Because artery walls are stronger and more muscular than vein walls, they can tolerate the tremendous blood pressure that the heart pumps. The aorta, which divides into smaller arteries to supply oxygen-rich blood to every region of the body, is the biggest artery in the body. Arterioles and capillaries are the next branches of arteries, where gasses, nutrition, and waste materials are exchanged with tissues. Because the blood pressure generated by the heart’s pumping motion is enough to keep blood flowing in the right direction, arteries do not have valves like veins do.

References:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21775-circulatory-system

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21567-spleen

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23360-veins

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22619-vena-cava

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/arteries#:~:text=Arteries%20are%20blood%20vessels.,transporting%20blood%20around%20the%20body.