Chapter 6: Cardiovascular System
Keywords
Please familiarize yourself with these keywords before you start reading the chapter:
- Capillaries
- Smallest vascular channel that facilitates interchange of nutrients/waste between blood and organ.
- Elastic artery
- A large vessel that handles high pressure, high volume blood flow exiting the ventricles.
- Endocardium
- The inner most lining of the heart and is the cardiac equivalent of the tunica intima.
- Endothelial cells:
- A highly specialized cell type that covers the luminal surface of a vascular structure.
- Epicardium
- Outside surface of the heart comprised of connective tissue and mesothelium.
- Lymphatics
- Vascular structures responsible for draining interstitial fluid and returning it back to the cardiovascular system.
- Myocardium
- Portion of the heart comprised of cardiac muscle.
- Pericardium
- Sac-like structure that encloses the heart.
- Purkinje fibers
- Modified cardiomyocytes responsible for propagating electrical signals through the myocardium ensuring coordinated contraction.
- Tunica adventitia
- The outermost layer of the vessel wall composed primarily of connective tissue, smaller blood vessels and nerves.
- Tunica media
- The middle portion of the vessel wall composed of smooth muscle.
- Veins
- Thinner walled vascular structures responsible for carrying deoxygenated blood back to the heart in most cases.
