What is the Cardiovascular System?
The cardiovascular system consists of the heart, veins, arteries, and capillaries. It moves nutrients to the cells of the body and feeds them, which helps them fight disease. Arteries carry blood and the oxygen in it from the lungs to all of the other cells of the body. Once the oxygen is used, veins carry the blood back to the heart. Inside the heart are four chambers. Each chamber is a little pump that pushes the blood through the body. It takes 1-2 minutes for blood to circulate all around your body.
What is the Heart?
The heart is a muscle, located to the left of the middle of your chest and is around the size of your fist. The heart sends blood around the body and provides oxygen and nutrients. The heart also carries away waste. The heart acts like somewhat of a pump, or two pumps in one. The right side of the heart receives blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs. The left side of the heart does the exact opposite: It receives blood from the lungs and pumps it out to the body.
How does the Heart Beat?
Right before each beat, the heart fills with blood. The muscle then contracts to squirt this blood along your arteries. The heart does this all day and night; it keeps contracting every second of every day.
How does Blood Circulate?
The blood in your body moves through many tubes called arteries and veins; together, these are called blood vessels. The blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart are arteries. The blood vessels that carry blood to the heart are veins. This movement of blood is known as circulation.The blood being delivered allows oxygen to enter all the body's cells. The left side of the heart sends oxygen-rich blood around the body. The body uses the oxygen in the blood and makes carbon dioxide that gets carried away by the blood. The returning blood enters the right side of the heart. The right ventricle pumps this blood to the lungs, where carbon dioxide is removed. A fresh breath of oxygen, or inhale, that can enter the blood starts the process again, which all takes around a minute.
Why is the Cardiovascular System Important?
The cardiovascular system is important because it keeps us alive! It allows our blood to receive the oxygen that it needs as well as important nutrients and hormones. The cardiovascular system allows the body meet the demands of activity, exercise, and stress.
Citations:
“Heart and Vascular Services: Medlineplus Medical Encyclopedia.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007459.htm#:~:text=The%20cardiovascular%20system%20delivers%20oxygen,body%20temperature%2C%20among%20other%20things.
“Your Heart & Circulatory System - Nemours KidsHealth.” Edited by Steven Dowshen, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, May 2018, https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/heart.html.
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