Summary – Introduction to the Cardiovascular System

00:00 to the body again in a never ending circle.

00:00 So in summary then what we have talked about so far in this introductory talk is the definition of the cardiovascular system. It is the blood circulating organ system, that transports nutrients, gases, hormones, and blood cells throughout the body. It has a number of components including the pumping part, the heart. It has blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. Lymphatics are used for draining any excess fluid that escapes from the capillaries and finally we have talked very briefly about the physiology. The highest pressure is right above the aortic valve when the left ventricle squeezes and then the pressure falls progressively, particularly falling at the resistance vessels the arterioles. Eventually there is low pressure as the blood passes through the very thin walled capillaries giving off its oxygen and taking on waste products such as carbon dioxide and eventually working into small veins and larger veins and returning to the heart to repeat the cycle again.