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Activity 3: Circulatory System 🔬🩸🫀

The cardiovascular system is the biological system that delivers oxygen and nutrients to the body tissues. It also carries away wastes and toxins via blood for excretion, such as carbon dioxide to the lungs and toxins to the liver and kidneys.

I was able to illustrate some of the components of the cardiovascular system after viewing them on the microscope: 

🩸 Veins carry blood back to the heart. They have thinner walls and larger lumens. Veins are equipped with valves inside their lumens to prevent the backflow of blood despite the low pressure of blood flow.

🫀 Vena cava is where all the major veins of the systemic circulation converge. There are two types of vena cava: the superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava. Veins superior to the diaphragm drain into the superior vena cava, whereas veins inferior to the diaphragm drain into the inferior vena cava.

🩸 The spleen plays a cardiovascular and an immunity role. It is a soft organ responsible for filtering and cleansing blood of bacteria, viruses, and other debris. More importantly, it breaks down old, senescent red blood cells and returns some of their breakdown products back to the liver.

🩸 Arteries transport blood away from the heart, bringing nutrients and oxygen to the other parts of the body. Its walls are thick and strong, ready to withstand fluctuating blood pressure. Thick walls are meant to expand and recoil as the heart beats.

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Reference: Marieb, E. N., & Keller, S. M. (2017). Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology (12th ed.). Pearson.