Circulatory System Word Search

AORTA – The largest artery in the body that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart’s left ventricle to all other arteries, distributing blood throughout the entire body system.

ARTERY – A blood vessel with thick, elastic walls that carries oxygenated blood away from the heart to various tissues and organs throughout the body under high pressure conditions.

ATRIA – The two upper chambers of the heart that receive blood from veins and pump it into the ventricles below, serving as collecting chambers for circulation.

ATRIUM – A single upper chamber of the heart; the right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from the body, while the left atrium receives oxygenated blood from lungs.

BLOOD – The red fluid circulating through vessels that transports oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and waste products while also providing immune protection and maintaining body temperature regulation throughout.

CAPILLARY – The smallest and thinnest blood vessels where oxygen, nutrients, and waste products are exchanged between blood and body tissues through their permeable single-cell-thick walls.

CARDIAC – Relating to or involving the heart and its functions, including the heart muscle tissue, rhythm, output, and overall cardiovascular health and medical conditions.

CELL – The basic structural and functional unit of blood, including red blood cells carrying oxygen, white blood cells fighting infection, and platelets enabling clotting processes.

CLOT – A thickened mass of blood that forms to stop bleeding from damaged vessels, created when platelets and fibrin proteins combine to seal wounds effectively.

CORPUSCLE – A small cellular component of blood, typically referring to red or white blood cells that perform essential functions like oxygen transport and immune system defense.

DIASTOLE – The relaxation phase of the heartbeat when the heart chambers fill with blood, represented by the lower number in blood pressure readings, allowing cardiac muscle rest.

HEART – The muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the body via rhythmic contractions, containing four chambers that work together to maintain continuous circulation and oxygen delivery.

LUNG – The respiratory organ where blood receives oxygen and releases carbon dioxide through gas exchange, working closely with the heart to oxygenate blood for circulation.

OXYGEN – A vital gas transported by red blood cells from lungs to body tissues, essential for cellular respiration and energy production, carried bound to hemoglobin molecules.

PACEMAKER – The heart’s natural electrical node, or an artificial device, that regulates heartbeat rhythm by generating electrical impulses to control the rate and timing of contractions.

PLASMA – The liquid component of blood, comprising about fifty-five percent of total volume, that transports cells, nutrients, hormones, proteins, and waste products throughout the body.

PLATELET – Small cell fragments in blood that clump together at injury sites to form clots, preventing excessive bleeding and initiating the healing process for damaged vessels.

PULSE – The rhythmic expansion and contraction of arteries caused by heartbeats, felt at various body points, indicating heart rate and providing information about cardiovascular health.

PUMP – The heart’s primary mechanical function of forcing blood through vessels by contracting and relaxing, creating pressure that maintains continuous circulation throughout the entire body.

RED CELL – A disc-shaped blood cell containing hemoglobin that transports oxygen from lungs to tissues and returns carbon dioxide, making up most blood cells by volume.

SYSTOLE – The contraction phase of the heartbeat when chambers pump blood out, represented by the higher number in blood pressure readings, forcing blood through circulatory vessels.

VALVE – A flap-like structure in the heart and veins that prevents blood from flowing backward, ensuring one-directional circulation and maintaining efficient pumping action throughout vessels.

VEIN – A blood vessel with thinner walls that carries deoxygenated blood back to the heart from body tissues, often containing valves to prevent backward flow against gravity.

VENTRICLE – One of two lower heart chambers with thick muscular walls that pump blood forcefully; the right sends blood to lungs, the left to the body.