Download Blocked and normal arteries

Blocked and
normal arteries
To be healthy each cell in our body requires a constant supply
of oxygen. Oxygen enters our body each time we breathe in
and is transported through our bodies by our blood.
The movement of blood through our bodies is called circulation
and is controlled by the circulatory system which is made up of
the heart, blood and blood vessels.
Your heart is a powerful muscle that acts like a pump to send blood
to the lungs and the cells in your body. The blood travels through a
network of blood vessels called arteries and veins.
Arteries carry oxygen rich (oxygenated) blood away from the heart
to the cells in your body. The cells use the oxygen and produce
carbon dioxide and other waste. Veins carry the oxygen poor
(deoxygenated) blood back towards the heart.
The heart sends the blood back to the lungs to be oxygenated and
the cycle begins again.
What happens when something goes wrong with the circulatory
system?
Try our experiment to find out.
You will need
 2 beakers of water with red food colouring added
 2 plastic cups
 2 straws of different thicknesses
 Dish for catching water
 Blu tac
 Scissors
 Tape
 Pin
1. Put a strip of tape around each cup close to the bottom.
2. Use a pin to make a hole in the side of each cup, near the
bottom. Carefully widen the holes so they fit each straw
comfortably. The wider straw will require a bigger hole.
3. Trim each straw to approximately 5 centimetres.
4. Place the straws through the pre made holes.
5. Use blu TAC to seal the inside of the hole around the straw so
that water cannot leak out of the hole.
6. Place the cups side by side in the dish. Make sure the
straws are pointing down so that the water can flow out.
Pour in the coloured water.
7. The coloured water will flow out both straws but at
different rates
What’s happening…
The cup with the thin straw empties more slowly.
This replicates what happens in the body when an artery becomes
blocked.
Heart disease occurs when the blood supply to your heart is blocked
by a buildup of fatty substances, known as plaque, in the walls of the
arteries. As the plaques grow larger, the arteries narrow.
Narrowing of the arteries leads to a decrease in the volume of
oxygenated blood that can reach the heart which can lead to
chest pains and heart attacks.
The plaques may become dislodged and form clots in the blood that
block the flow. This can also cause heart attacks and strokes.