Thursday, April 1, 2010

The path blood flows through the body !

Deoxygenated blood passes through the superior and inferior vena cava into the right atrium of the heart. Blood then flows into the right ventricle, which pumps it to the lungs via the pulmonary arteries. Oxygenated in the lungs, the blood flows through the pulmonary veins back into the left atrium of the heart, then into the left ventricle, from which it is pumped to the entire body via the aorta. Arteries carry blood away from the hear, breaking down into a network of arterioles. Veins arise from a network of venules to bring blood toward the heart. Between arterioles and venules are capillaries, tiny vessesla where cellular exchange (gases, nutrients, wastes) occurs. The lymphatic system returns lost fluid to the blood. Lymph fluid can intermingle with blood along lymph capillaries, which run alongside circulatory capillaries. Lymph nodes filter the lymph fluid by the action of white blood cells, protective cells that attack and isolate foreign bodies. Hope you enjoyed the quick overview of the circulatory system =]

1 comment:

  1. Wow! Lots of info here Gigi! Here is a website to help people make a little sense of it and get a good visual.
    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/heart/heartmap.html

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