A tablet is swallowed and absorbed in the small intestine…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
- A tablet is swallowed and absorbed in the small intestine. Through which vessel does it travel to reach the liver, before it enters the general circulation?
- Why is it useful that the liver receives the blood from the intestine first?
- A clot blocks a coronary artery. Which tissue is short of blood?
- Why does blood in the chambers of the heart not supply the heart wall?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
The right ventricle sends deoxygenated blood to the lungs by the pulmonary artery. The pulmonary veins bring oxygenated blood to the left atrium. The left ventricle sends it to the body by the aorta. Arteries carry blood away from the heart, and veins carry it towards the heart. The hepatic portal vein carries blood from the intestine to the liver. The coronary vessels supply the heart muscle.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. (a) The hepatic portal vein.
Step 2. (b) The liver can store, change or remove substances from the food and the drugs before they reach the body.
Step 3. (c) The heart muscle is short of blood.
Step 4. (d) The wall is thick, and the blood in the chambers cannot reach all its cells. The cardiac muscle has its own supply, the coronary circulation.
Answer: (a) hepatic portal vein; (b) the liver treats the absorbed substances first; (c) cardiac muscle; (d) it has its own supply.
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