Synonym: Circulation
The blood circulation is the physiological transport process of arterial and/or venous blood through the
vascular system and the
heart chambers. It is driven by the
heart’s pump function.
One distinguishes the major and the minor circulation.
The major circulation starts from the left
ventricle of the heart. From there, the
oxygenated blood is pumped in contractions into the
aorta, afterwards into the downstream
arteries and/or
arterioles and eventually into the capillaries of the body. The blood then flows from the capillary bed back to the
venoles and
veins and from there reaches the right
atrium of the heart through the superior and inferior
vena cava.
The minor circulation starts from the right
ventricle of the heart. From there, the
de-oxygenated blood is pumped through the lung arteries into the lung capillaries. From the capillary bed of the
lung, it arrives in the left atrium of the heart through the
lung veins and can then start its journey once again in the major circulation.
The most important functions of the circulation are:
- Oxygen supply
- Nutrient supply of the body cells
- Removal of metabolic end products
- Transport and/or distribution of heat
