The circulatory system is the system of the human body that is responsible for delivering

oxygen, nutrients, and disease-fighting cells to the bodys organs and tissues. Parts of
thecirculatory system include the cardiovascular system, which consists of the heart, lungs, blood
vessels, and blood, as well as the lymphatic system, made up of the lymph vessels, nodes, and
lymph itself. The cardiovascular system brings oxygen and glucose to the bodys tissues via the
blood and distributes white blood cells, which defend against disease. The
lymphaticsystem produces and transports additional immune cells. The cardiovascular system is
known as a closed system, meaning that the blood it carries is re-circulated, while the
lymphaticsystem is open, meaning that the lymph, the clear fluid within, is able to exit its complex of
vessels and enter the cardiovascular system.
Within the cardiovascular system are several important parts of the circulatory system. They include
two major organs, the heart and lungs. Also part of this system is a network of arteries, which carry
oxygenated blood away from the heart, and veins, which bring deoxygenated blood back to the heart
to receive more oxygen in the lungs. Blood itself is also part of the cardiovascular system.
Blood is the fluid that transports the disease-fighting white blood cells, the oxygen-supplying red
blood cells, and the fuel-replenishing electrolytes to the bodys various tissues. There are two
systems for circulating blood. During pulmonary circulation, the deoxygenated blood that has been
returned to the heart is pumped into the lungs, where it receives more oxygen, and then pumped
back into the heart to be distributed throughout the body. Systemic circulation is the process by
which the arteries take this blood away from the heart and deliver it to the body, only for the blood to
be returned by the veins to receive a new supply of oxygen.
The very reason these parts of the circulatory system exist is to distribute the components contained
in blood. Oxygen is essential in that it provides some of the energy required during cell metabolism.
Nutrients like glucose are what fuel the brain as well as the muscles, while amino acids found in
protein repair the muscles and other tissues. They are what keep the body running. Electrolytes like
sodium make muscle contractions and therefore movement possible. Leukocytes, or white blood
cells, rush to wherever they are needed to fight off infection.
Other key parts of the circulatory system are the components of the lymphatic system. The lymph
vessels transport lymph, a clear fluid that filters infectious material from the body. They also drain
plasma, which is carried from the blood to tissues where it is needed to fight infection, back into the
blood stream. In the lymph nodes the lymphocytes, a kind of white blood cell, congregate when
the immune system is in the process of attacking a virus or other infection.
The lymph itself is the name for fluid traveling within the lymphatic system. It contains plasma, water,
nutrients, and cell waste products, and can build up in body tissues, causing edema or swelling.
Lymph is one of those parts of the circulatory system that is able to drain this excess fluid and its
accompanying waste products out the tissues, where it can be taken by the blood to the various
organs that remove it from the body.