Glossary of the Circulatory System

visiblebody.com/learn/circulatory/glossary

Circulatory system
The circulatory system is composed of the heart and the blood vasculature: the arteries
and the veins. See it in 3D!

Function: Arteries carry blood away from the heart, and veins carry blood back to the
heart. Circulating blood supplies cells throughout the body with oxygen and removes
waste carbon dioxide.

Blood
Blood is composed of 55% plasma and 45% “formed elements,” including red blood
cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Because of these living cells suspended in the
plasma, blood is considered a fluid connective tissue (not a fluid).

Function: It transports oxygen and other essential substances throughout the body,
fights sickness, and performs other vital functions.

Platelet
Cell fragments called platelets, or thrombocytes, make up about 2 percent of blood. See
it in 3D!

Function: Platelets clump and form a plug in the damaged area of a torn blood vessel
to stop blood loss.

Red blood cell

Red blood cells, also called erythrocytes, make up 40–45% of blood volume and
function to transport oxygen from the lungs to the cells of the body. See it in 3D!

White blood cell

White blood cells, also called leukocytes, are the disease-fighting components of blood.
They account for just 1% of circulating blood but multiply during infection or
inflammation. See it in 3D!

Plasma
The largest component of blood is plasma, a yellowish liquid that is 90% water.

Function: Plasma carries suspended blood cells and other substances.

1/6
Artery
Arteries transport blood away from the heart. In the systemic circulation arteries and
their branches transport oxygenated blood and veins carry deoxygenated blood.

Vein
Veins return blood back toward the heart. In the systemic circulation arteries and their
branches transport oxygenated blood and veins carry deoxygenated blood. See it in 3D!

Capillary
Capillaries surround body cells and tissues to deliver and absorb oxygen, nutrients, and
other substances. The capillaries also connect the branches of arteries and to the
branches of veins.

Systemic circulation
Systemic circulation moves blood between the heart and the rest of the body. It sends
oxygenated blood out to cells and returns deoxygenated blood to the heart.

Pulmonary circulation
Pulmonary circulation moves blood between the heart and the lungs. It transports
deoxygenated blood to the lungs to absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide. The
oxygenated blood then flows back to the heart.

Heart
The heart is a hollow, muscular organ that pumps oxygenated blood throughout the
body and deoxygenated blood to the lungs. The heart comprises four chambers enclosed
by a heart wall. See it in 3D!

Pericardium
The pericardium is a fibroserous sac that contains the heart and the roots of the great
vessels.

Heart wall
The muscular wall of the heart has three layers. The outermost layer is the epicardium
(or visceral pericardium). The epicardium covers the heart, wraps around the roots of
the great blood vessels, and adheres the heart wall to a protective sac. The middle layer
is the myocardium. This strong muscle tissue powers the heart’s pumping action. The
innermost layer, the endocardium, lines the interior structures of the heart.

2/6
Superior vena cava
This large vessel is formed by the junction of the two brachiocephalic veins on either
side of the root of the neck.

Inferior vena cava

This vessel ascends along the front of the vertebral column on the right side of the aorta.
It perforates the diaphragm and passes behind the serous pericardium, opening into the
right atrium at its base.

Right atrium
The right atrium, one of the two upper chambers of the heart, receives deoxygenated
blood from the vena cava (superior, inferior) and the coronary sinus, and empties into
the right ventricle.

Tricuspid valve
The tricuspid valve, one of the two atrioventricular valves in the heart, controls blood
flow from the right atrium into the right ventricle.

Function: The tricuspid valve plays a vital role in the cardiac cycle, preventing
backflow and ensuring one-way blood flow through the heart. When the right ventricle
contracts, the tricuspid valve is closed, preventing the passage of the blood back into the
atria.

Right ventricle
The right ventricle, one of the two lower chambers of the heart, is responsible for
pumping deoxygenated blood into the pulmonary trunk.

Pulmonary valve
Function: The pulmonary semilunar valve plays a role in the cardiac cycle, conveying
deoxygenated blood from the heart into the lungs.

Pulmonary trunk
The pulmonary trunk, a great vessel of the cardiovascular system, supports pulmonary
circulation by carrying deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle of the heart into the
lungs for gas exchange. At the aortic arch, the pulmonary trunk divides into the
pulmonary arteries (r, l), which extend into the lungs. The trunk and its branching
arteries are the only arteries in the body that carry deoxygenated blood.

Pulmonary arteries
3/6
The right and left pulmonary arteries stem from the pulmonary trunk, which connects at
its base to the right ventricle of the heart. In the lungs, the pulmonary arteries branch
into arterioles and then into networks of pulmonary capillaries. Gases are exchanged
across the walls of these capillaries, and the oxygen content of the blood rises.

Function: Together, the pulmonary arteries convey deoxygenated blood from the right
ventricle to the lungs.

Pulmonary veins
The pulmonary veins are formed by the joining of venules from pulmonary capillary
beds in the lungs. They are four in number—two from each lung—and have no valves.
The pulmonary veins are the only veins in the body that carry oxygenated blood.

Function: These veins return oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the
heart for distribution via systemic circulation to the rest of the body.

Left atrium

Mitral (bicuspid) valve

The mitral valve, one of the two atrioventricular valves in the heart, controls blood flow
from the left atrium into the left ventricle.

Function: The mitral valve plays a role in the cardiac cycle, conveying oxygenated
blood through the heart. When the left ventricle contracts, the mitral valve is closed; this
action prevents the backflow of blood into the left atrium.

Left ventricle
The left ventricle, one of the two lower chambers of the heart, is responsible for
pumping oxygenated blood into the aorta.

Aortic valve
The aortic semilunar valve, one of four heart valves, regulates and supports the one-way
flow of blood out of the left ventricle and into the aorta; the opening and closing of the
aortic semilunar valve, a result of varying blood pressure, contributes to the cardiac
cycle of the cardiovascular system.

Aorta
The aorta, a great vessel of the cardiovascular system, is the largest artery in the body. It
begins at its base at the left ventricle of the heart, where it receives blood from the left
ventricle through the aortic valve. See it in 3D!

4/6
Common carotid artery
The left and right common carotid arteries are the principal arteries of supply to the
head and neck. As the common carotids ascend in the neck, each divides into two
branches at the level of the upper border of the thyroid cartilage.

Cardiac cycle
The cardiac cycle regulates both electrical and mechanical activities of the heart. An
electrical impulse is sent, which results in a mechanical action. The cardiac cycle splits
into two phases: systole and diastole. Ventricular contraction and constriction is known
as systole, while relaxation and expansion of the ventricles is called diastole. Each
contraction and relaxation is a heartbeat. The rate of contractions in a healthy heart is
about 60 to 70 beats per minute when the body is at rest. During physical activity, the
heart beats about 100–120 times per minute.

Systole
Ventricular contractions, called systole, force blood out of the heart through the
pulmonary and aortic valves. This phase begins with the closure of the AV valves and
ends with the closure of the semilunar valves.

Diastole
Diastole occurs when blood flows from the atria to fill the ventricles. Diastole starts with
the closure of the semilunar valves and ends with the closure of the AV valves.

Conduction system
The conduction system of the heart is a system within the heart that is controlled by the
autonomic nervous system and that delivers electrical impulses and motivates the
rhythmic contractions of the heart. The pathways for the electrical impulses are formed
by a series of bundles of specialized muscle fibers within the heart: sinoatrial node,
atrioventricular node, atrioventricular bundle of His, left and right bundle branches,
and Purkinje fibers. There are distinct steps to each electrical impulse; these result in
the contraction of the heart’s upper chambers followed by the contraction of the heart’s
lower chambers.

Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the amount of force put on blood vessels. It is caused by the blood
flow generated by the heart as it pumps, and the resistance that blood encounters as it
moves through the enclosed vessel. The point of highest pressure, when the ventricles
are contracting and pressure is highest in the arteries, is called systolic pressure. The

5/6
point of lowest pressure, when the ventricles are relaxed and the semilunar valves are
closed, is called diastolic pressure. The average systolic pressure is 120 millimeters of
mercury. The average diastolic pressure is 70 to 80 millimeters of mercury.

6/6