Final answer:
The systemic circuit is responsible for transporting oxygenated blood to the body's tissues and returning deoxygenated blood to the heart, which is then sent to the pulmonary circulation for gas exchange in the lungs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The systemic circuit is the part of the human circulatory system responsible for transporting oxygenated blood to virtually all of the tissues of the body and returning relatively deoxygenated blood and carbon dioxide to the heart to be sent back to the pulmonary circulation. The oxygen-rich blood leaves the left ventricle through the aorta and travels to the body's organs and tissues, where oxygen is delivered and carbon dioxide waste is picked up. The deoxygenated blood, now carrying carbon dioxide, travels through veins back to the heart entering through the inferior vena cava and superior vena cava, completing the systemic circulation and ready to enter the pulmonary circuit for gas exchange in the lungs.
It is important to differentiate between the two circuits in the body. The pulmonary circulation carries the blood to and from the lungs, allowing red blood cells to release carbon dioxide and pick up oxygen. However, it is the systemic circulation that supplies the metabolic needs of the cells in the body, including those of the heart and lungs, by carrying oxygenated blood to tissue and returning deoxygenated blood to the heart.