What Organs are in the Circulatory System?

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The circulatory system is an organ system that helps maintain homeostasis in the body. This system helps maintain body pH and stabilize body temperature. It also distributes nutrients, hormones, gases, and blood cells to and from the cells to maintain and sustain life. There are organs in the body that helps carry out the function of the circulatory system. What organs are in the circulatory system?

There are two types of circulatory system that can be seen in the human body. One is the cardiovascular system and the second is the lymphatic system. The cardiovascular system is composed of the heart, blood and blood vessels while the lymphatic system is composed of the lymph, lymph nodes and the lymph vessels. The cardiovascular system in humans is a close system which means that the blood does not get out of the network while the lymphatic is an open system.

Heart is a muscular organ that is responsible for pumping out blood to the blood vessels by simply contracting. Cardiac muscles are involuntary which means that they could not be controlled by human mind or desire. Whether we are sleeping or not, the heart continually contracts- even if we will think of stopping it. The heart beats 60 to 120 per minute which is about three billion beats for the entire lifetime. The size of the heart is as big as the fist and generally weighs 250-300 grams in females and 300 to 350 in males.

Without the heart, there would be no organ that will pump the blood and maintain its circulation. The cells would not be able to receive their needed nutrients in order to live. With this, it can be said that the heart is a vital organ and should be well pampered. Taking care of the heart includes taking in healthy foods and engaging in active lifestyle so to prevent heart attacks and coronary artery disease.

Blood is a specialized body fluid that delivers important substances to the cells in the body such as oxygen and nutrients and takes in body waste away from the cells. It contain red blood cells (gives color to the body and contains hemoglobin which carries oxygen), white blood cells (which fights off invading microorganisms), and platelet (helps in the formation of clots so to prevent bleeding).

The blood vessels come in three forms: arteries, veins and capillaries. The arteries are the one that carries oxygenated blood away from the heart. The arteries are connected to the capillaries where exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide happens (also with metabolic waste of cells). The capillaries are connected to the veins which carry unoxygenated blood back to the heart.

These are the organs that make up the circulatory system.