Circulatory System

The journey of a red blood cell is the journey of life within the human body. Without the circulatory system, our body would fail.

The journey begins in the right side of the heart, where the heart muscle pushes deoxygenated blood to the lungs through the veins.

Once in the lungs, the blood is pushed into the capillaries where the thin walls allow carbon dioxide to seep through into the lungs to be exhaled as waste.

The capillaries then allow oxygen from the lungs to again seep through their walls and be absorbed by the red blood cells, creating oxygenated blood that will travel to abdominal organs and extremities of the body.

The now oxygenated blood travels through the arteries, beginning in the largest artery, the aorta, out of the left side of the heart, circulating throughout the body delivering oxygen rich blood to the abdominal organs and limbs and brain.

Once the life giving oxygen has been absorbed into the body, the deoxygenated blood travels back to the heart, assisted by skeletal muscles that contract to force the blood up the body against the gravitational pull, and the cycle begins again.

Function of the Circulatory System

• Delivering oxygen and other nutrients throughout the body.
• Removing waste, like carbon dioxide, from the blood.
• Fighting diseases by cleansing the blood, and forming scabs that seal wounds and allow them to heal.