Interactive Resources for Schools
This topic takes on average 55 minutes to read.
There are a number of interactive features in this resource:
Biology
Human biology
Physical education
Science
A large multicellular organism such as a person needs a transport system to move substances around to the cells. In the human body the transport system consists of:
Together they make up the cardiovascular system.
The cardiovascular system has a number of different functions in the body. These include:
We are very active animals so our cells need lots of oxygen. We have a very efficient system which makes sure our cells get the oxygen they need.
Your heart is not a single pump - it is in effect two pumps joined and working together. One part of the heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs to get rid of waste carbon dioxide and pick up oxygen. The other part of the heart pumps this oxygenated blood all around the body. This is a double circulation.
However your cardiovascular system is not a simple system of boxes. There are different types of blood vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries) and the blood flows through lots of different organs.
Every time the heart pumps the blood is pushed around the cardiovascular system. It flows in a constant stream (see the animation below).
Blood flow in the cardiovascular system