Analysis Of The Cardiovascular System Assignment Sample

Introduction To Analysis Of The Cardiovascular System

The study of the analysis of the cardiovascular system describes the structure of the heart and how it works in the body, it will also elaborate on the conduction pathway and how it coordinates in the various phases of the cardiac system. The function of the capillaries, arteries, and veins will also be presented through the analysis with their comparison. It will help to understand the process of regulating the blood pressure in the body. The four tasks will help to comprehend the function of the cardiovascular system with a thorough analysis.

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Discussion

Task 1 The Structure of the Heart and Function

The demonstration of the dissection of the heart

Figure 1: Labeled dissection of the Sheep heart

(Source: Self-created)

This above-mentioned image includes the dissection of a sheep's heart. With the help of this particular image all the parts of the sheep's heart is labeled appropriately. This particular dissection of the sheep's heart becomes very beneficial for the identification of various major components of the heart which includes right atrium, left atrium, tricuspid valve, right ventricle, left ventricle, cardiac spectrum and papillary muscles etc (Carson et al. 2021). The biological organ of the body which is known as the heart consists of the specialized cells and the arrangements that can cooperate to work together effectively in the body. The part of the dissection observed has helped to demonstrate the various components of the cardiovascular system, different layers with its functions including its anatomy (Thomas et al. 2021).

Figure 2: The layers of the heart wall

(Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/the-heart-wall-4022792)

The presented image has displayed the outer layer that is the epicardium, the middle layer is myocardium and the inner layer of the heart wall is endocardium. The main focus of this process of dissection is to examine the tissue layers of the heart including the endocardium and the myocardium. With the proper visualization, it can be stated that the myocardium involves the middle layer of the heart which is mainly made up of the cardiac muscle tissues. So the responsibility of this layer is for the contraction of the heart which drives the blood during the processes of the circulatory system. After dissecting this layer it has been shown that the network of the muscle fibers on this including the papillary muscles and the trabeculae carneae are responsible for the pumping action of the heart. The dissection also illustrates the endocardium layer which is the innermost layer. It consists of the connective tissues, endothelial cells, and the thin appearance of the smooth muscles in the heart (Paik et al. 2020). The smooth type of muscles of these layers prevents the formation of clots in the blood and helps in the smooth flow of blood. Here in this process, this layer appears thin and delicate which covers the chambers and the valves of the heart. This can be demonstrated by an example in which it probably highlights the heart's four chambers consisting of the two ventricles and two atria.

Figure 3: Four valves of the heart

(Source: https://teachmeanatomy.info/thorax/organs/heart/heart-valves/)

The four valves of the cardiac system has been represented through the diagram which has labelled properly. In the left side bicuspid and pulmonary valves have been observed and in the right side tricuspid and aortic valves have been seen. The valves of the heart have also been observed in this dissection including the mitral and tricuspid valves. The functions of these valves are the unidirectional flow of the blood via the heart which can prevent the backflow. These valves are situated between the ventricles and the atria of the heart which are connected with the papillary muscles. During the dissection the aortic and pulmonary valves are found in the exits of the ventricles and those are also known as the semilunar valves (Pankova et al. 2020). There are some muscle tissues that have been shown on the inner borders of the ventricles known as the trabeculae carneae and the function of this is to enhance the stability of the contraction with the prevention of the suction. Same with this the pectinate muscles situated on the inner side of the atria have also been observed can function as the enhancement of the force of contraction in the atria. This type of muscular cell can prevent the involvement of the oxygen-poor and oxygen-rich blood and guarantees the efficient oxygenation of the cells. There are two types of septum in the heart including the interventricular and interatrial septum.

1.2 Differentiation between the coronary, pulmonary, and systemic circulation

The three different pathways within the human circulatory system include the circulation of pulmonary, systematic, and coronary. The systematic circular can be depicted as the route of the flowing of blood between the rest of the other parts of the body and the heart. The heart can pump the oxygenated blood from the left side of the ventricle via the aorta, those are subdivided into the smaller section of the arteries which can circulate the oxygen-rich blood to the other parts of the body (Bae et al. 2020). After distributing the oxygenated blood the oxygen is transported to the cells while the carbon dioxide is picked up from those cells. Returning of the deoxygenated blood to the heart through the systematic veins specifically the inferior and superior vena cava.

The way of the circulation in the human body has represented with the help of this image in which it shows how the oxygen poor blood collected and oxygen rich blood has incorporated into whole body. Next is the pulmonary circulation which can be described as the route of the circulation between the lungs and the heart. The oxygen-poor blood transports from the body to the right atrium and is circulated into the right ventricle. After transporting the deoxygenated blood into the right ventricle then it enters the lungs via the pulmonary arteries. The circulation of the coronary engages the supply of blood to the muscle of the heart which is known as the myocardium (Meyer et al. 2020). The coronary arteries are started from the aorta which can transport the oxygenated blood to the muscle of the heart when the heart is in the relaxed condition. These types of arteries can distributed into the smaller vessels which help to penetrate the muscle to supply nutrition and oxygen. Pulmonary circulation involves the exchange of gas between the blood and the lungs, coronary can oxygenate the heart muscles and systematic circulation can be involved in the transportation of the oxygen-rich blood to the cell of the body.

Task 2 The cardiac cycle and the conduction pathway

The description of this portion of the study has helped to understand the cardiac conduction pathway and its functions. It has elaborated the pathway in which way the heart can correspond in the various phases of the cardiac cycle. It will illustrate the correlation between the electrocardiogram and the cardiac cycle with a proper explanation.

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2.1 Description of the parts of cardiac conduction

The pathway of cardiac conduction consists of the particular type of cardiac muscles that can conduct the impulses and manage the contraction process which helps to relax the heart chambers. The specific muscle cells can consist of several steps by which this conduction can proceed named the atrioventricular node, sinoatrial node, bundle of HIS, bundle branches, and the Purkinje fibers.

The way of the conduction process of heart has been labelled in the diagram to get the understanding of the knowledge of the system (Chen et al. 2020). The sinoatrial node is situated on the right side of the atrium adjoining the entrance of the superior vena cava. This can function as the pacemaker of the heart which can continuously affect the contribution of the electrical pulses. The impulses can extend across the atria which are responsible for the contraction and the pumping of the blood into the chamber of the ventricle. The next step of the conduction is the atrioventricular node located at the intersection of the atria and ventricles. This node can obtain the electrical pulses from the SA node which acts as a position of relay, which slightly delays the impulse so that the ventricles may complete with blood and the atria can contract completely before ventricular contraction activates (Sarzani et al. 2021). This delation can maintain the atrial and ventricular muscle contraction from the incident at the same time to ensure adequate blood flow. When the electrical impulse leaves the AV node and moves down to the bundle of His, then the group of specific fibers is discovered in the septum of the interventricular node. This can ensure that the contraction of both of the ventricles can provide the impulse that is quickly supplied by the bundle of HIS. The bundle of HIS can be diverged into the branches of right and left bundles which are developed from the septum to the apex of the heart. The impulses are transmitted by the bundle branches to the Purkinje fibers. The Purkinje fibers can be depicted as the particular cardiac muscle fibers that can guide the electrical impulses via the ventricles (Klostranec et al. 2021). These fibers can stimulate the coordinated contraction that can guarantee the efficient discharge of the blood from the heart. This transportation of the impulse from the heart is transmitted into the circulation of the pulmonary and systematic. In the different phases of the cardiac cycle, the cardiac conduction pathway is very significant those involving the contraction of the ventricular and atrial are named the process of systole and another process of diastole or the relaxation of the muscles. The sinoatrial node can begin each heartbeat which can cause the contraction of atria and help in the pumping of the blood into the chamber of the ventricles during the time of the systole (Nguyen et al. 2021). After transporting the electrical impulses into the atrioventricular node which can be delayed in the process of the transmission. This transmission permits the ventricles to be fulfilled before the contraction. The influential pumping action of blood via the compartments of the heart and throughout the body is evaluated by this action of a well-coordinated series (Trimm and Red-Horse, 2023). The inactivity of the AV node ensures the atrial contraction which receives first and the secondly has received the ventricular contraction. This action can prevent both of the chambers from contracting. The excellent management of the contraction of atrial and ventricular can be ensured by this cardiac conduction pathway that can increase the efficiency of the pumping activity of the heart.

The correlation between the electrocardiogram and the cardiac cycle

The process of the electrocardiogram and its interpretation to understand the efficiency of the heart has been displayed through the above image. The representation of the cardiac cycle through the electrocardiogram helps to exhibit the electrical activity of the heart. This process includes several waves which are responsible for the particular phases of the cardiac cycle. P wave, t wave, and the QRS complex have been obtained from the ECG. The p wave signifies the atrial depolarization with the process of the signaling of the contraction of the atrial. This happens before the systole of the atrial in the time of the pumping of the blood into the ventricles. The wave of T represents the ventricular repolarization that can concentrate on the recovery phases of the contraction of the ventricles (Stephens et al. 2021). The incident of the diastole or the relaxation of the ventricular happened in this phase. Another complex of QRS signifies the depolarization of the ventricles which can lead to the systole of the ventricles. This complex consists of the different types of waves such as the Q, R, and S waves. The contraction of the ventricles starts after the QRS complex found on the electrocardiogram [Refer to appendix 1].

Task 3 The structure and function of the capillaries, arteries, and veins

The three types of blood vessels in the body are the arteries, veins, and capillaries. This portion has elaborated on the role of these vessels structurally and functionally in the transportation of blood.

3.1 The comparison of the arteries, veins, and capillaries

The structure of arteries have been displayed through the image and the layers of arteries are also lapelled to get proper understanding of this. The arteries are formed as thick muscular vessels which can transport the oxygenated blood from the heart to the other parts of the body while the veins appear as thin muscular vessels and can carry the deoxygenated blood from the other parts of the body towards the heart (Medina-Leyte et al. 2020). Another blood vessel which is the capillaries appears as the thinnest and the tiniest muscular vessel and can form the network of the vessels linked with the veins and the arteries. The walls of the arteries involve three types of layers; inner, middle, and outer.

The structure of the veins has represented through this above image in which the layers are labelled. The walls of veins have also three layers but those are thinner and correspond to the arteries (Kalra et al. 2020). The three layers are observed are endothelium, thin outer layer and the layer of elastin. These are less muscular than the arteries.

The structure of capillaries is presented through this image and it has been observed that endothelial cells. The capillaries involve the single layer of the cell known as the endothelial that is responsible for the interchange of the nutrients and gases in the blood. The layer of the arteries which is the tunica media or the middle layer consists of the smooth muscle and is responsible for offering elasticity in response to the contraction of the heart. The veins have bigger lumens than width those are the features of veins. The one-way valves are continually present to block the blood from flowing backwards, particularly in the areas where blood flows opposite to gravity. On the other hand, the capillaries are of small diameters that promote the transportation of blood cells by enabling the exchange of nutrients.

Apart from the structural comparison the functional comparison of three blood vessels is very significant in the circulation system of the body. The function of arteries, veins and the capillaries is presented through the above image which demonstrates the activity in human body. The role of the arteries is to transport the oxygenated blood from the heart to the other organs of the body (Naeije et al. 2022). Having the elastic muscular walls the arteries can tolerate the pressure of the contraction process in the heart which can balance in the process of the flowing of blood. They can also do their functions in the times of high demands on the body (Nie et al. 2020). The function of the veins is to transport the deoxygenated blood from all organs of the body where it is produced and back into the heart. By this process, a complete circulation in the body has happened with the involvement of these blood vessels. Having thinner walls compared to the arteries allows the body to accommodate the greater amount of blood in the lower pressure for this incident the valves are responsible for preventing the backflow of the blood. The thin walls of the capillaries are responsible for the transportation of nutrients and the excretion of various wastes in the various cells.

Task 4 The regulation of blood pressure

4.1 Explanation of the body monitors and maintains blood pressure

The body has a sophisticated system for regulating and controlling blood pressure in a small space. This system connects various organs, tissues and tissues to improve blood circulation and oxygenation of vital organs and tissues.

Cardiovascular system

The heart is the central push for circulating blood throughout the body, and its function is important in regulating blood pressure. During systole, the reduction phase of the cardiac cycle, the heart muscles energetically pump blood to the veins, producing a peak pressure known as systolic blood pressure (Fleischer et al. 2020). This systolic pressure causes blood to flow its surface and enables circulation to organ tissues. During diastolic relaxation, blood from the arteries refills the ventricles, causing a temporary decrease in intravascular pressure, known as diastolic blood pressure. The cyclical changes in systole and diastole internal balance of resistance Pressure needed for circulation and oxygenation all over the body maintains slope.

Kidney and Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System (RAAS)

Kidneys play a key role in the regulation of blood pressure through the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). When blood pressure falls, special juxtaglomerular cells in the kidneys release the enzyme renin into the bloodstream. Renin initiates a cascade of reactions that ultimately leads to the production of angiotensin II, a potent vasoconstrictor (Wenceslau et al. 2021). Angiotensin II causes vasoconstriction, which increases peripheral resistance and raises blood pressure. And also angiotensin II stimulates the adrenal glands to discharge aldosterone, a hormone that causes sodium and water to return to the kidneys and this reabsorption causes an increase in blood volume, leading to an increase in blood pressure (Hallmann et al. 2020). The RAAS system acts as a mechanism to maintain normal blood pressure by increasing blood volume through vasoconstriction as blood pressure decreases

Baroreceptor perspective

Baroreceptors are specific nerve cells in the carotid arteries (in the neck) and aortic arches (in the chest). These receptors will detect changes in blood pressure in response to stretch in the artery wall. When blood pressure rises, baroreceptors send signals to cardiac control hearts in the brainstem and hypothalamus. In response, the brain slows the heartbeat, reduces cardiac output, and promotes vasodilatation (widening of blood vessels), so lowering blood pressure. Conversely, when blood pressure is low, the baroreceptor reflex induces heart rate, cardiac output, and vasoconstriction (contraction of blood vessels), which increases blood pressure.

Autonomic Nerve

The motor nervous system plays an important role in the guideline of blood pressure through its sympathetic and parasympathetic separations. The response of the sympathetic nervous system increases blood pressure by increasing heart rate, contractility, and vasoconstriction (Coelho-Santos et al. 2021). It also stimulates the release of renin from the kidneys, producing renin-angiotensin-aldosterone the system is activated. In contrast, the parasympathetic nervous system contracts these effects by reducing heart rate, reduction, and vasodilatation, thereby lowering blood pressure The connection between these two aspects is given they are able to adjust cardiovascular specificity and maintain optimal blood pressure levels in reply to physiological demands.

Other features

Hormones such as diuretic hormone (ADH) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) play a role in fluid balance and blood pressure control. Blood vessels themselves can adapt to changes in blood pressure by shifting their volume (contraction or dilation) through local mechanisms.

Lifestyle factors, such as diet (sodium intake), exercise, stress, and obesity can affect blood pressure patterns. The body monitors and continually adjusts these systems to maintain blood pressure at a healthy level, confirming proper blood flow to muscles and organs (circulation) and less stress on the heart and on the nerves.

Conclusion

In conclusion it can be concluded that the thorough analysis of the cardiovascular system is very significant to comprehend the efficiency of the circulation process in the body. The four tasks describe the functions of the various phases of the system with their functions in this.

References

Journals

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