GLOSSARY & IMPORTANT TERMS
- Circulatory System: The system that transports blood, nutrients, and waste around the body
- Heart: the muscular organ that pumps blood via the circulatory circuit
- Blood Vessel: a hallow tube that carries blood to and from the body
- Blood: the bodily fluid in which blood cells are suspended
- Open Circulatory System: a circulatory system in which vessels open into the animal’s body cavity
- Closed Circulatory System: a circulatory system in which the circulating blood is contained within vessels and kept separate from the intestinal fluids
- Pulmonary Artery: large blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs
- Pulmonary Vein: blood vessel that carries blood from the lungs to the heart
- Aorta: an artery that carries blood directly from the heart to other arteries
- Atrioventricular Valve: a valve in the heart between the ventricle and atrium
- Semilunar Valve: a valve between the ventricle and the large arteries; it carries blood away from the heart
- Pulmonary Circulation: the path that blood follows from the heart to the lungs and back to the heart
- Systemic Circulation: the path that blood follows from the heart to the body and back to the heart
- Cardiac Circulation: the movement of blood through the heart tissues
- Vasodialation: the widening of the blood vessels
- Vasoconstriction: the narrowing of the blood vessels
- Sinoatrial (SA) node: the modified heart cells in the right atrium that spontaneously generate the rhythmic signals that cause the atria to contract
- Atrioventricular (AV) node: the specialized heart cells near the junction of the atria and ventricles that cause the ventricles to contract
- Electrocardiogram (ECG): a record of the electrical impulses generated by a beating heart
- Blood Pressure: the force that blood exerts against the walls of blood vessels
- Systolic Pressure: the pressure generated in the circulatory system when the ventricles contract and push blood from the heart
- Diastolic Pressure: the pressure generated in the circulatory system when the ventricles fill with blood
- Sphygmomanometer: a medical used to measure blood pressure
- Arteriosclerosis: general term for several conditions in which the walls of the arteries thicken and lose their elasticity
- Cardiac Output: The volume of blood pumped out by the heart in mL/min
- Stroke volume: the volume of blood pumped out of the heart with each heartbeat
- Angioplasty: a surgical procedure used to open a clogged artery
- Coronary Bypass: a surgical procedure in which blood flow is re-routed around the blocked arteries
- Aneurysm: a bulge in an artery or heart chamber caused by a weak ended area of the heart muscle or arterial wall
- Arrhythmia: an irregularity in the speed or rhythm of the heartbeat
- Pacemaker: a device that sends electrical impulses that control the rate of the heartbeat
- Congenital Heart Defect: a heart defect that is present from birth
- Ischemic stroke: a stroke caused by a clot in a blood vessel, blocking blood flow to the brain
- Haemorrhagic Stroke: a stroke caused by the bursting of a blood vessel in the brain, which causes blood to leak into the surrounding brain tissue
- Haemophilia: an inherited disorder in which the blood clots not clot normally
- Leukaemia: a cancer of the white blood vessels
- Xenotransplant: a transplant of tissues and organs from one species to another
- Nanotechnology: technology that uses microscopic structure on the scale of molecules