All about the Heart and Circulatory System
Großer Blutkreislauf
One is the systemic circulation (the body's circulation), and the other is the pulmonary circulation through the lungs.
When we talk about blood pressure, we usually mean the pressure in the systemic (body) circulation. This refers to the path of blood from the left atrium of the heart through the body to the right ventricle. Along the way, the blood delivers oxygen to the cells and returns to the heart low in oxygen.
From there it goes from the right ventricle into the socalled small or pulmonary circulation. That means blood is pumped from the right ventricle into the pulmonary artery and then into the vessels of the lungs. These branch out in the lungs and become finer and finer. As a result, the blood slows down and the vessel walls get thinner. That allows gas exchange to take place when the blood reaches the lungs air sacs (alveoli). Carbon dioxide is released and can be exhaled. Oxygen is taken up. Via the pulmonary veins the now oxygenrich blood returns to the heart specifically to the left atrium and can begin its journey through the systemic circulation again.
Kleiner Blutkreislauf
If the blood pressure in the pulmonary circulation is elevated, this is called pulmonary hypertension also referred to as pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is usually caused by an underlying lung or heart disease.
Articles in this category:
- Our Heart
- Blood pressure and pulse
- Normal pulse rates
- Pulse pressure
- MAD - mean arterial pressure
- Blood pressure variability what do blood pressure fluctuations mean?
- What is an ECG (electrocardiogram) and what does the doctor see?
- Venous blood pressure and the role of muscle pumps
This article comes from BloodPressureDB – the leading app since 2011 that helps hundreds of thousands monitor their blood pressure every day.
Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based data and is continuously updated (as of 11/2024).
Author Sabine Croci is a qualified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care, and has led BloodPressureDB's specialist editorial team since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder and in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides solid, practical and reliably reviewed information.
Author Sabine Croci is a qualified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care, and has led BloodPressureDB's specialist editorial team since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder and in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides solid, practical and reliably reviewed information.
