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Electrophysiology
Published in A. Bakiya, K. Kamalanand, R. L. J. De Britto, Mechano-Electric Correlations in the Human Physiological System, 2021
A. Bakiya, K. Kamalanand, R. L. J. De Britto
The cardiopulmonary system consists of blood vessels that carry nutrients and oxygen to the tissues and removes carbon dioxide from the tissues in the human body (Humphrey & McCulloch, 2003; Alberts et al., 1994). Blood is transported from the heart through the arteries and the veins transport blood back to the heart. The heart consists of two chambers on the top (right ventricle and left ventricle) and two chambers on the bottom (right atrium and left atrium). The atrioventricular valves separates the atria from the ventricles. Tricuspid valve separates the right atrium from the right ventricle, mitral valve separates the left atrium from the left ventricle, pulmonary valve situates between right ventricle and pulmonary artery, which carries blood to the lung and aortic valve situated between the left ventricle and the aorta which carries blood to the body (Bronzino, 2000). Figure 3.9 shows the schematic diagram of heart circulation and there are two components of blood circulation in the system, namely, pulmonary and systemic circulation (Humphrey, 2002; Opie, 1998; Milnor, 1990). In pulmonary circulation, pulmonary artery transports blood from heart to the lungs. The blood picks up oxygen and releases carbon dioxide at the lungs. The blood returns to the heart through the pulmonary vein. In the systemic circulation, aorta carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the other parts of the body through capillaries. The vena cava transports deoxygenated blood from other parts of the body to the heart.
Elements of Continuum Mechanics
Published in Clement Kleinstreuer, Biofluid Dynamics, 2016
Pulmonary and systemic circulations. As indicated in Figs. 1.1.2 and 1.1.3, blood with increased CO2-content from tissue metabolism returns to the heart’s right atrium. From there, blood enters the right ventricle which pumps it into the pulmonary trunk/arteries. The pulmonary arteries bifurcate and transport blood to the lungs where the CO2−O2 gas exchange occurs between the lung capillaries CO2 and the air sacs O2 of the alveolar region. Thus, the returning blood from the lungs via the pulmonary veins to the left atrium is oxygen enriched. This loop, i.e., blood pathway from the heart’s right ventricle, through the lungs and back to the heart’s left atrium, is called the pulmonary circulation. Now, oxygen-rich blood enters the left ventricle and is pumped into the aorta, which ascends, makes a U-turn and then descends through the thoracic (i.e., chest) cavity, across the diaphragm and into the abdominal cavities. Branches from the aorta supply blood to all the organ systems, and via arterioles/capillaries supply oxygen and nutrients to the tissue. Tissue metabolism generates CO2 dissolved in blood which drains via the vessels into veins. These veins ultimately empty into two large veins, the superior and inferior vena cavae, that return the CO2-rich blood to the heart’s right atrium. This loop is called the systemic circulation.
Physico-mathematics and the life sciences: experiencing the mechanism of venous return, 1650s–1680s
Published in Annals of Science, 2022
In his original work on the circulation of the blood, William Harvey argued that the main driver for the circulation was the pulsation of the heart.42 Writing about blood flow in the veins, Harvey said that the motion of the heart’s ventricles is ‘sufficient for the distribution of blood throughout the whole body and for its drawing forth from the vena cava’.43 Thus, for Harvey, the pulsation of the heart alone was sufficient to pull the blood out of the vena cava. The vena cava is the largest vein in the body to which all other veins converge.44 Yet, Harvey was silent on the actual flow inside of it.