CARDIOVASCULAR System

CARDIOVASCULAR System
• BLOOD VASCULAR SYSTEM
• HEART propels blood through the system.
• ARTERIES a series of vessels efferent from the heart that become smaller as they
branch into the various organs, carry blood to the tissues.
• CAPILLARIES the smallest vessels, are the sites of O2 , CO2 , nutrient, and waste
product exchange between blood and tissues. Together with the smallest arterial
and venous branches carrying blood to and from them, capillaries in almost every
organ form a complex network of thin, anastomosing tubules called the
microvasculature or microvascular bed.
• VEINS result from the convergence of venules into a system of larger channels that
continue enlarging as they approach the heart, toward which they carry the blood to
be pumped again.
• ENDOTHELIUM - a single layer of a squamous epithelium that lines the
internal surface of all components of the blood and lymphatic systems
• Endothelial cells MUST maintain a selectively permeable, antithrombogenic
(inhibitory to clot formation) barrier, they also determine when and where
white blood cells leave the circulation for the interstitial space of tissues and
secrete a variety of paracrine factors for vessel dilation, constriction, and
growth of adjacent cells.
HEART
• right and left ventricles propel blood to
the pulmonary and systemic circulation,
respectively;
• right and left atria receive blood from
the body and the pulmonary veins,
respectively.
• The walls of all four heart chambers
consist of three major layers: the internal
endocardium; the middle myocardium;
and the external epicardium
 • MYOCARDIUM -
thickest layer. Consists
mainly of cardiac muscle
with its fibers arranged
spirally around each
heart chamber. Because
strong force is required
to pump blood through
the systemic and
M
EN pulmonary circulations,
the myocardium is much
thicker in the walls of the
ventricles, particularly
the left, than in the atrial
walls.
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Components of Myocardium
• Myocytes
• Collagen
• Blood Vessels
• Adipose Tissue
• Nerves
Myocardium

intercalated disc
Skeletal Muscle
Myocardium
 • EPICARDIUM - simple squamous mesothelium
supported by a layer of loose connective tissue
containing blood vessels and nerves. The
epicardium corresponds to the visceral layer of the
pericardium, the membrane surrounding the heart.

M
EN

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 Mesothelial Cells Collagen

Epicardium, with Abundant

Adipose Tissue

Epicardium
 • ENDOCARDIUM - consists of the endothelium, a thin
layer of connective tissue with smooth muscle cells,
and a layer of variable thickness lacking smooth
muscle called the subendocardial layer.

M
EN

EP
Dense irregular connective tissue
• Anchoring and supporting the heart valves
• Providing firm points of insertion for cardiac muscle
• Helping coordinate the heartbeat by acting as electrical insulation between
atria and ventricles
Conducting system of the heart
• generates and propagates waves of depolarization that spread through the
myocardium to stimulate rhythmic contractions
• SA node (sinoatrial node or pacemaker)
• specialized group of cells located in the upper right atrium of the heart responsible for
generating electrical impulses that initiate each heartbeat, causing the atria to contract and
pump blood into the ventricles.
• AV node (atrioventricular node)
• located in the lower part of the right atrium near the ventricular septum which receives the
electrical impulses generated by the SA node and acts as a gateway to the ventricles
• AV bundle (of His)
• collection of cells that carry electrical signals from the AV node to the bundle branches
• Purkinje fibers
• networks of fibers that receive conductive signals originating at the atrioventricular node (AVN),
and simultaneously activate the left and right ventricles by directly stimulating the ventricular
myocardium
Tissues of the vascular wall
ENDOTHELIUM
• specialized epithelium that acts as a semipermeable barrier between two
internal compartments: the blood plasma and the interstitial tissue fluid.
• Vascular endothelial cells are squamous, polygonal, and elongated with the
long axis in the direction of blood flow.
Tissues of the vascular wall
SMOOTH MUSCLE FIBERS
• occur in the walls of all vessels larger than capillaries and are arranged
helically in layers.
• In arterioles and small arteries, the smooth muscle cells are connected by
many more gap junctions and permit vasoconstriction and vasodilation which
are of key importance in regulating the overall blood pressure.
Tissues of the vascular wall
CONNECTIVE TISSUE COMPONENTS
• present in vascular walls
• Collagen fibers are found in the subendothelial layer, between the smooth
muscle layers, and in the outer covering
• Elastic fibers provide the resiliency required for the vascular wall to expand
under pressure
 Walls of
arteries and
veins
• The innermost tunica intima consists of the
endothelium and a thin subendothelial layer of
loose connective tissue
• internal elastic lamina - a prominent limiting layer
present in arteries and large veins
• Tunica media, the middle layer, consists
chiefly of concentric layers of helically
arranged smooth muscle cells
• The outer adventitia, or tunica externa,
consists principally of type I collagen and
elastic fibers

• Vasa vasorum (“vessels of the vessel”)

• network of small blood vessels that supply oxygen
and nutrients to the walls of larger blood vessels,
particularly arteries and veins.
Elastic Arteries
• Elastic arteries conduct blood from the heart to different areas of
the body. These vessels include the aorta, pulmonary artery, and
their largest branches.
• The tunica media contains many concentric fenestrated sheets of
elastin (i.e., elastic laminae) interspersed with smooth muscle
cells.
• This elastic tissue allows these vessels to distend when the blood
pressure rises (systole), and recoil when the blood pressure fails
(diastole). This pumping action helps maintain blood pressure
through the cardiac cycle.
ELASTIC ARTERY
Muscular Arteries
• Muscular arteries distribute blood to specific organs in response to
their functional needs. Most of the named arteries in the body are
muscular arteries.
• The tunica media is composed of concentric layers of smooth
muscle cells. The contraction and relaxation of these muscle cells
regulate blood flow by changing the size of the lumen.
• A prominent internal elastic lamina separates the tunica intima
from the media. In larger arteries, an external elastic lamina also
separates the tunica media from the adventitia.
MUSCULAR ARTERY
Veins
• Veins carry blood back to the heart from microvasculature all over
the body
• Most veins are small or medium veins, with diameters of 10 mm or
less.
• Veins are usually located close and parallel to corresponding muscular
arteries. The intima usually has a thin subendothelial layer, and the media
consists of small bundles of smooth muscle cells intermixed with reticular
fibers and a delicate network of elastic fiber
• Large veins - The big venous trunks, paired with elastic arteries
close to the heart
Microvasculature
A microvasculature too small for surgical manipulation
permeates most organs and consists of
(1) arterioles , with one to three smooth muscle layers;
(2) capillaries , consisting only of an intima endothelial layer;
and
(3) venules , with large lumens and thin walls, which drain
capillaries
Arterioles and Venules
• Arterioles regulate the flow of blood
into capillary beds. They provide the
majority of the resistance to blood flow
in the body.
• The tunic media is reduced to one or
two concentric layers of smooth
muscle cells.
• The contraction of the smooth muscle
cells constricts the lumen of the
arteriole, reducing the flow of blood,
and increasing vascular resistance.
Capillaries
• Capillaries are the smallest blood vessels (less than 10 µm in diameter).
The thin wall of capillaries is composed of endothelial cells supported by
a basement membrane.
• Three types of capillaries can be distinguished:
• Continuous capillaries - continuous endothelium and basement
membrane
• Fenestrated capillaries - endothelial cells contain small, 80 to 100 nm
pores called fenestrations (typically with thin diaphragms)
• These pores can only be seen using electron microscopy
• Sinusoidal capillaries - discontinuous endothelium and incomplete
basement membrane
Sinusoidal Capillaries

• Sinusoidal capillaries (or sinusoids) have a discontinuous

endothelium and basement membrane.
• The sinusoids have large, irregular shaped lumens (15 to 30 µm
in diameter). The large gaps allow for the free exchange of large
macromolecules and cells.
• Sinusoidal capillaries are found in a number of organs including
the liver, spleen, and bone marrow.
Capillary Bed
Venous Valve
• Medium and large veins have valves that prevent the
retrograde flow of blood