Blood Vessels and Hemodynamics Flashcards
(174 cards)
what are the 5 main types of blood vessels/
- arteries
- arterioles
- capillaries
- venules
- veins
what do arteries do?
carry blood away from the heart
what are arterioles?
smaller arteries
what are capillaries and what do they do?
thin walled, and accomplosh exchange of substances between blood and body tissues
what are venules?
small veins where capillaries reunite
what do veins do?
convey blood from tissues back to heart
what are the 3 layers of blood vessel walls? describe
- tunica interna/intima: epithelial inner lining
- tunica media: smooth muscle and elastic connective tissue
- tunica externa/adventitia: connective tissue outer covering
what accounts for the 5 types of blood vessels
modifications to the basic three layers provide the structural and functional differences in the 5 types of blood vessels
what does the tunica interna form and what is it in direct contact with?
forms the inner lining of the blood vessel; in direct contact with blood
describe the tunica interna’s contribution to the thickness of vessel walls
minimal contribution to overall vessel wall thickness
what is the innermost layer of the tunica interna? what is it continuous with?
endothelium that is continuous with the endocardial lining of the heart
what is the endothelium that is the innermost layer of the tunica interna made of?
a thin layer of flattened cells that line the inner surface of the entire cardiovascular system
what does the endothelial layer of the tunica intima do?
facilitates efficient blood flow by reducing surface friction
what is the second component of the tunica intima?
the basement membrane
what are the 3 components of the tunica intima, from innermost to outermost?
- endothelium
- basement membrane
- internal elastic lamina
what does the basement membrane of the tunica intima provide? (3)
- provides physical support base for epithelial layer
- provides framework of collagen fibers that gives basement membrane significant tensile strength
- provides resilience for strength and recoil
what does the basement membrane of the tunica intima do? (2)
- anchors endothelium to underlying connective tissue
- regulates molecular movement
describe how the basement membrane of the tunica intima regulates molecular movement
appears to play an important role in guiding cell movement during tissue repair of blood vessel walls
what is the internal elastic lamina?
the outermost part of the tunica intima
what does the internal elastic lamina of the tunica intima form?
forms the boundary between tunica interna and tunica media
what does the internal elastic lamina of the tunica intima do and how?
facilitates diffusion of materials through tunica interna to tunica media via a thin sheet of elastic fibers with window-like openings
what is the tunica media?
a muscular and connective tissue layer
which of the 3 blood vessel layers varies most among the vessel types?
tunica media
describe the tunica media in most vessels (2)
- relatively thick layer
- mainly smooth muscle cells and sustantial amounts of elastic fibers