Circulation, Respiration and Breathing

Programme Outline

This programme uses live action filming and virtual graphics to follow the workings of the human body. It looks at the ways in which it can adapt its major functions of respiration and circulation to meet the differing demands placed upon it.

00.00 Introduction
A major fire incident and the release of toxic fumes. This location footage is used to describe how the body’s need for oxygen can be compromised.

02.00 Oxygen and the body
How the body uses oxygen. Great Britain swimming champion Jenna Coyne demonstrates the process of ventilation and virtual body graphics are used to show the action of the lungs.

04.00 The circulatory and respiratory systems
The important links between these two systems and how they work together to meet the body’s energy needs. How Boyle’s Law helps to explain ventilation (breathing).

07.00 Smoking and lung disease
Looking at the toxic compounds in cigarette smoke and the effects that they have on the body.

08.22
The control of breathing by the brain and oxygen uptake in the lungs are discussed. Live action pictures show the route taken by air as it enters the body and is carried to the lungs. Gas exchange in the alveoli is demonstrated using virtual graphics and the structure and function of red blood cells are explained.

15.35 The heart and double circulation
Virtual graphics are used to show the internal structure of the working heart and the special properties of cardiac muscle are outlined. The route travelled by deoxygenated blood as it passes from working cells back to the lungs is clearly shown. Live action film illustrates how high energy demands can lead to anaerobic respiration and oxygen debt. The control of breathing and the role of the brain are also examined.

18.10 Summary
The main learning points are reviewed and the interdependent nature of the body’s systems made clear.