Cardiovascular System
The Cardiovascular System Shawn Little July 27, 2004 The cardiovascular system, which is also called the circulatory system, functions to transport nutrients to organs and tissues throughout the body and carry away waste products. In addition to this key function the cardiovascular system also performs three tasks which are vital to sustaining life. ... It also transports disease-fighting elements of the immune system to areas which have been infected. Finally, the cardiovascular system sends clotting cells and proteins to a site affected by injury or bleeding, which quickly stops bleeding and promotes healing. The heart, blood, and blood vessels are the three structural elements that make up the cardiovascular system. The heart is the engine of the circulatory system. ... Other disorders of the circulatory system include arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and atherosclerosis (caused by plaque buildup). ... The immune system of the recipient may attack some of the donor’s cells, which interferes with the benefits of the transplant. ... The advantage of this type of stem cell transplant—in which the patient is both donor and recipient—is that the immune system will not be activated to destroy the transplanted cells.