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System

Cardiovascular system

Not medically reviewed · Content last updated · 1 min read ·

This is the date the draft was written, not a medical review date.

The cardiovascular system is a closed circuit of the heart and blood vessels that circulates blood through the pulmonary and systemic circulations. It delivers oxygen and nutrients, removes metabolic waste and distributes hormones and heat.

Terminologia Anatomica (Latin): Systema cardiovasculare

Components

The heart has four chambers and four valves, with an intrinsic conduction system and its own coronary supply. Arteries (elastic, muscular and arterioles) carry blood away from the heart, capillaries exchange substances with tissues, and veins return blood through the venae cavae and pulmonary veins.

Function

The right heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs and the left heart pumps oxygenated blood to the body, with unidirectional flow ensured by the valves. Cardiac output and vascular resistance together determine arterial pressure and tissue perfusion.

Clinical correlations

Ischaemic heart disease, hypertension, heart failure, valvular disease, arrhythmias and peripheral arterial or venous disease are major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Assessment combines history, examination, ECG, imaging and biomarkers; management follows local guidelines.

Common exam points

  • Trace blood through the heart and the pulmonary and systemic circuits, naming each valve.
  • Left coronary artery gives the LAD and circumflex; the right coronary artery usually supplies the SA and AV nodes.
  • Conduction sequence: SA node, AV node, bundle of His, bundle branches, Purkinje fibres.
  • Fetal shunts (foramen ovale, ductus arteriosus, ductus venosus) and their postnatal remnants.
  • Distinguish arteries from veins histologically and by pressure and wall thickness.
  • Cardiac output = stroke volume x heart rate.

References

  1. Drake RL, Vogl AW, Mitchell AWM. Gray's Anatomy for Students. Elsevier — Tier 3 (textbook)
  2. Moore KL, Dalley AF, Agur AMR. Clinically Oriented Anatomy. Wolters Kluwer, 8th edition (2018) — Tier 3 (textbook)
  3. Hall JE, Hall ME. Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology. Elsevier, 14th edition (2020) — Tier 3 (textbook)
  4. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. Elsevier, 12th edition (2022) — Tier 3 (textbook)

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