| A | B |
|---|
| heart | organ that pumps blood through the system |
| blood | a form of connective tissue that has a fluid component called plasma and a variety of cells and substances |
| plasma | clear, straw-colored fluid portion of the blood that carries blood cells and contains dissolved substances |
| blood vessels | network of passageways to transport the blood to and from the body's cells |
| arteries | vessels that carry blood away from the heart |
| arterioles | smallest branches of arteries |
| capillaries | smallest blood vessels in the body, connecting blood vessels between arterioles and venules |
| vein | blood vessel that carries oxygen-poor blood as well as carbon dioxide and waste products of cellular metabolism away from the cells and back to the heart |
| venules | smallest branch of a vein |
| pericardium | serous membrane that surrounds the heart |
| parietal layer | on the inside of the fibrous pericardium |
| visceral layer | fused to the heart surface |
| pericardial cavity | potential cavity between the parietal and visceral layer |
| epicardium | outer layer of the heart wall |
| myocardium | middle layer of the heart wall |
| endocardium | lines the heart by epithelium |
| interatrial septum | separates the right and left atria of the heart |
| interventricular septum | wall between the two larger chambers of the heart |
| right atrium | small chamber in the upper right quadrant of the heart |
| superior vena cava | one of the two large veins that bring the blood to the right atrium (blood from the head, neck, chest, and upper extremities) |
| inferior vena cava | one of the two large veins that bring the blood to the right atrium (blood from the trunk, organs, abdomen, pelvic region, and lower extremities) |
| right ventricle | right bottom side of the heart |
| atrioventricular valve (AV valve) | one-way valve to a larger chamber in the right side where blood is drained |
| left atrium | where the pulmonary veins meet and pour their contents into |
| left ventricle | left bottom side of the heart |
| leukocytes (white blood cells) | responsible for the immune response |
| erythrocytes (red blood cells) | created by red bone marrow through a process called erythropoiesis |
| thrombocytes (blood platelets) | responsible for the blood's ability to clot |
