The cardiovascular system is the most important system in our body. This system is what keeps us alive. Beating on average 30 billion times a year, our heart never manages to stop and take a break. With each beat of our heart, the cardiovascular system moves blood, gases, nutrients and hormones through our body's complex vascular system. An adult body contains more than 60,000 miles of ships, which can travel two and a half times around the world. The vessel that runs from the heart is the largest artery in our body and is known as the aorta. The aorta supplies oxygenated blood to our body. The aorta runs along the midline of our body and contains many other vessels branching off from it to carry blood to a specific location. The aorta has several different names, depending on its location in the body. When it exits the heart at the left ventricle, it is called the ascending aorta. It is located in the anterior mediastinum and is approximately three to five centimeters wide. In the upper mediastinum, at the top of the aorta, it transforms to resemble an upside-down U and becomes the aortic arch. As it passes behind the heart and begins to descend into the thoracic cavity, it becomes the descending aorta, more precisely the thoracic aorta. The diameter of the thoracic aorta is approximately two and a half centimeters wide. Once the aorta reaches the diaphragm and passes into the abdomen, it converts the abdominal aorta. The abdominal aorta is about two centimeters wide. The thoracic aorta extends approximately twenty centimeters and the abdominal aorta extends approximately fifteen centimeters long. The aorta has three layers of tissue, the intima, media and adventitia. The intima is the innermost and thinnest layer. It says... middle of paper ... I need to be aware of how this can be fatal if not treated in time. There is no way to prevent this disease, but there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of contracting it; don't smoke, stay healthy and get regular screenings. Works Cited Chernecky, CC and BJ Berger. Laboratory tests and diagnostic procedures. 5. St. Louis MO: WB Saunders Co, 2008. eBook. Ferri, FF and first clinical advisor to MD Ferri 2012, 5 books in 1. 1st. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby, 2011. eBook. Goldman, L. and AI Schafer. Goldman's Cecil Medicine, premium expert consultation edition - enhanced online features and print, single volume. WB Saunders Co, 2013. eBook. Young, M. Primary care, a collaborative practice. 3. St. Louis, MI: Mosby, 2008. eBook. Urden, LD, KM Stacy, and ME Lough. Nursing, diagnosis and management of intensive care. Mosby Inc, 2010. E-book.