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So What Happens? (Simplified)
- Oxygen (O2) is picked up by the blood in the lungs.
- It leaves the left side of the heart via arteries. The arteries branch into capillary beds.
- In the capillary beds, the O2 leaves the vessels and goes into the tissues as Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is picked up from the tissues and carried into the veins.
- The blood with carbon dioxide is returned to the heart (right side) where it is pumped to the lungs to trade the CO2 for O2 - and the process starts again.
More On Capillaries:
- Capillaries by nature are leaky to allow the oxygen out and the carbon dioxide in
- Fluid and other products also move in and out of the capillaries, allowing the feeding of tissues.
- Fluid, O2, and other nutrients are pushed out (partially due to blood pressure)
- CO2, waste products... are pulled/pushed back in
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