Definition of Cardiovascular System

The Cardiovascular system is one of the most complex and important systems in the body, it is made up of the heart and the blood vessels that are united forming a closed circuit through which the blood circulates.

The heart is a muscular structure with four cavities inside, two upper ones known as atria and two lower ones called ventricles connected by a system of valves, as well as a tissue that acts as a pacemaker capable of generating electrical activity that results in the rhythmic contraction of the atria and ventricles to propel blood through the system.

Blood leaves the heart through arteries, the aorta artery carries blood to a large part of the body, while the pulmonary artery carries it to the lungs for oxygenation, the blood enters the heart through the veins cavas and pulmonary veins.

With each beat the heart pushes a volume of blood towards the aorta artery, this large blood vessel gives a series of branches directed to the different organs, as new vessels originate, these are increasingly less

diameter until reaching the blood capillaries that are microscopic vessels, from there the vessels begin to increase its diameter, becoming veins that are grouped together until they originate the vena cavae that reach the heart.

Function of the cardiovascular system

The main function of the cardiovascular system is the transport of blood throughout the body which has several objectives:

- Carry both oxygen and nutrients to the tissues so that they can function properly.

- Collect waste products as well as carbon dioxide to be taken to the kidneys and lungs respectively for elimination.

- Bring the blood to the lungs to eliminate carbon dioxide and become oxygenated again.

- Transport of the cells that make up the immune system to optimize the defense function of the body.

Regulation of the cardiovascular system

This system maintains its functioning by action of nervous systemautonomous. The nervous system nice It has an accelerating effect on heart rate, while raising blood pressure and increasing the heart's ability to contract, all of which increases cardiac output. Which is nothing more than the volume of blood that the heart expels in a certain period of time.

The parasympathetic nervous system It has the opposite effects, the balance between the two systems is what allows this system to work adjusted to the needs of the organism at a given moment. An example of this is what happens when you walk or do some kind of physical activity, the muscles need more glucose and oxygen so blood pressure and heart rate increase (these values ​​increase reaching to the upper range of the normal value) when entering rest, the parasympathetic system is activated with which the values ​​return to their levels basal. This happens several times during the day.

Another important regulator of the cardiovascular system is the endocrine system by releasing hormones such as adrenaline or thyroxine that increase heart function.

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