Heart and Circulation - Essay Example

Heart and Circulation Heart and Circulation The circulatory system is a two-part system. The system is responsible for oxygen circulation in the body through circulating it to the blood. When a contraction of the heart takes place, blood is sailed into the primary loops and circles. When blood is in the regular flow, the body is fully oxygenated including all tissues (Agustine 2000). Carbon dioxide is also collected in order for excretion. The two systems of the circulatory have different functions (Agustine 2000). In the formation of the tissue fluids, the amount of pressure required is regulated depending on the functions of the components involved (Sharon & Emily 2006). The arteries undergo an excellent hydrostatic pressure. The hydrostatic pressure is an ideal means of pushing fluids through the cellular wall. The walls of the arteries are so thick that the pressure cannot work alone (Pickering et al. 2005). There needs to be an outer fluid that facilitates diffusion out the arteries. In the opposite case, the walls of the capillaries are thin in order to allow the hydrostatic pressure to act gently in diffusing substances (Agustine 2000). Scheme of semi permeable membrane during hemodialysis, where blood is red, dialyzing fluid is blue and the layer is yellow (Agustine 2000). Permeable membrane plays a role of the fluid passage to the body and out of the body through diffusion. The fluids passed are of different nature and concentration (Agustine 2000).Their passage is dependent to some factors. These factors include pressure, concentration, and temperature of the molecules or solutes covering either side of a permeable membrane. The membrane and the solute are also factors that affect the permeability pressure (Sharon & Emily 2006). Alongside membrane and solute other factors such as solute size, solubility, property and chemistry may also affect the strength of permeability layer. In order for a membrane to function well, its permeability is designed to withstand certain levels of pressure (Agustine 2000). Lipid bilayer is a permeable membrane example. The plasma membrane surrounds the biological cells within the lipid bilayer. Phospholipids are also a semi permeable membrane that is very specific to its tasks (Sharon & Emily 2006). The semipermeable membranes in the human body allow the passage of water and crystalloids from the blood. Even so, it does not allow the passage of plasma proteins. Most of the body cells lie outside the blood capillaries and vessels. Consequently, all the cells will require a balanced utilization of foods and waste disposal. The arteries are created of thick walls that will allow the diffusion of materials (Agustine 2000). The arteries are involved in the transport of blood to the capillaries. The thin walls of the capillaries allow the permeability of water, food substances, and oxygen through to the individual cells (Pickering et al. 2005). Intercellular substances and the tissue fluids vary in order to create the accurate pressure for distribution. Some parts maintain the intercellular substances as solutions and in such a case, the tissue fluid acts as a medium for dispersion of colloidal amorphous substances. In some cases, the amorphous substance exists as a rigid gel (Agustine 2000). There exist two mechanisms that help in the absorption of fluids in order to balance the production sequence with other body conditions (Agustine 2000). The first method is the venous ends of capillaries. In order for normal function to take charge, the hydrostatic pressure is always great such that the fluids are forced out especially when another factor is on the verge of drawing the tissue fluids to the capillaries (Agustine 2000). The osmotic pressure of the blood is a bit higher than that of the tissue fluid causing an attraction of blood to the tissue fluids. As such, the hydrostatic pressure at the end of the arterial side of the capillary. This makes the fluid be ejected out at that point. The osmotic pressure of blood is higher than the hydrostatic pressure; as a result, the absorption of tissue fluids takes place (Agustine 2000). The second is the lymphatic. This is the portion of tissue fluids that are not absorbed by blood capillaries. Lymphatics collect the fluid tissues. Immediately, after passage, the fluid elements change to lymph. There is a single system that is adopted by the lymph in order to produce two main tracks. The trucks carry out the functions of returning all the lymph into large veins that are placed near the heart (Agustine 2000). Oedema Oedema is the retention of fluids in the body. There are several ways through which oedema can be seen in a person’s body. One of the ways is through standing up for some time; it is visible on the ankles (peripheral oedema). Another way is after lying down for some time, the eyes of a person may turn swollen. Severe cases are recorded when the fluids builds in the lungs. Experts indicate that mild oedema is not harmful but severe cases are dangerous to a person’s health (Agustine 2000). Oedema is defined as the collection of fluids especially in spaces between body cells. Experts also indicate that the fluid is not drained by needles only or medication, they even say that some medications are causes of oedema. The fluids are also described as oedema when they leak out of the damaged body cells (Agustine 2000). There are several types of oedema. The first type is localized oedema. Localized oedema is described as the retention of fluids in particular body parts. The main reasons are attributed to be injuries or allergies reacting to foreign substances in the body (Agustine 2000). The second type is generalized oedema that is described as the causation of puffy ankles after standing for some time and puffy eyes after lying down. Experts in the biological systems of a human being indicate that the fluids are dangerous to the whole body (Pickering et al. 2005). They are the resultant of underlying heart conditions, diseases and infections. The other type is cerebral oedema described as the fluids of the brain. The main causational factors are underlying diseases of the heart (such as meningitis) (Agustine 2000). Oedema is a condition that can cause health issues to a person if not well looked into and early (Agustine 2000). Even though some kinds of drugs may cause the condition, there are other drugs made for the purpose of treating the conditions. Diuretics are some of the drugs that a person can use in surprising the condition (Agustine 2000). There are several causes of oedema. Main causes are an increase in hydrostatic pressure in blood capillaries. When the permeable membrane is obstructed from carrying its function, the capillaries develop a buildup pressure (Noback et al. 2005). The pressure results due to some build up obstructions in the capillaries. The obstruction induces a poor drainage of the fluids. The second cause is lymphatic obstructions. When the lymph is blocked, it means that the fluids are not allowed to pass through it. The4 obstruction develops a slow penetration or no penetrations of the fluids through the lymph (Noback et al. 2005). The third cause lack of enough colloid in the blood. Absorption at the end of the venous capillaries is dependant to the increased osmotic pressure of the blood. The colloid contents are the main contributors of osmotic pressure in the blood. In cases where the content goes low, the osmotic pressure of the blood drops causing a lower fluid permeability. Blood colloids mainly include proteins. If a person is not on a proper protein diet, the colloids of the person’s body will drop in levels. The results of the reduction in colloid levels are oedema. The colloids can also be lost in the event of an injury. Another factor that can cause the disease is an increased permeability of blood capillary endothelium (Hall & John 2005). The main components of endothelium membrane are living tissues. The fact that they are living tissues they prevent colloids from diffusing into the tissue fluids. In the event of leakages of colloids out of the capillaries, the osmotic pressure rises to the levels in the capillaries. The moment the two become equal; there is no movement of fluids to and from venous ends of the capillaries. This leads to a buildup of fluid levels in the body that leads to oedema. The condition can worsen to surgical shock if not addressed early. Oedema can be treated through several ways. One of the natural ways is eating low salt diets. Diuretics are also described as a good cure for the condition. Treatment of the underlying condition helps eliminate the oedema disease and prevent it. Taking in vitamins is described as a way through which the state can be suppressed. Drinking water is also another way to treat the condition. Water allows for the normal functioning of the porous membranes (Hall & John 2005). References Agustine, H. (2000) the circulation of blood and the mechanisms of fluid diffusion in the body. Trends in biological processes 2nd edition. Academic press, New York. Hall, A. C. & John, E. (2005) Textbook of medical physiology (11th ed. Ed.). Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders. Pickering, T. G., Hall J. E., Appel, L. J., & Falkner B. (2005). The Mechanics of The Circulation. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford University Press. Sharon, S. M. & Emily, S. M. (2006) Foundations of Maternal-Newborn Nursing.  (4th ed p.476). Philadelphia:Elsevier. Noback, Charles; in Norman L. Strominger; Robert J. Demarest; David A. Ruggiero (2005)  The Human Nervous System. Humana Press. (Pickering et al. 2005) Read More