Blood Vessels and Hemodynamics Flashcards
(90 cards)
List the way blood is transported from and to the heart (in order)
arteries»_space; arterioles»_space; capillaries»_space; venules»_space; veins
Arteries carry blood _____ the heart and veins carry blood ____ the heart
arteries = away from
veins = towards
What is the function of capillaries?
- Transport blood with nutrients and oxygen to cells in organs and systems
- transport blood with waste and CO2 to collection/expulsion sites
- Perform the exchange of gases between blood and interstitial fluid
What is the difference in structure between veins and arteries?
- veins don’t have elastic membranes like arteries
- veins have valves unlike arteries
What is a capillary’s structure like?
- basement membrane
- endothelial cells
What does the tunica intima consist of in arteries?
- endothelium
- subendothelial layer
- internal elastic membrane
what does the tunica intima consist of in veins?
- endothelium
- subendothelial layer
what does the tunica media consist of in arteries?
- smooth muscle and elastic fibres
- external elastic membrane
what does the tunica media consist of in veins?
- smooth muscle and elastic fibres
what does the tunica externa consist of in arteries?
- collagen fibers
- vasa vasorum
what does the tunica externa consist of in veins?
- collagen fibers
- vasa vasorum
What are the 3 types of arteries and how are they unique?
- elastic, conducting, arteries: thick walls, large diameters of >1cm, a lot of elastic fibers
- muscular, distributing, arteries: more smooth muscle rather than elastin, medium size of 0.3mm-1cm, distant from elastic arteries
- arterioles (aka. resistance vessels): 10 micrometres - 0.3 mm, tunica media of mostly smooth muscle which is only 1 layer in smaller arterioles
what are the differences in function in the 3 different arteries?
- elastic arteries: smooth pressure fluctuations and recoil to help maintain blood pressure or flow
- muscular arteries: deliver blood to specific organs
- arterioles: determine which capillary beds flushed min by min, create resistance to blood flow through the alteration of diameter
What are the characteristics of capillaries?
- microscopic
- thin tunica intima as walls
- 1mm long, and 8-10 micrometre diameter of the luman
- contain pericytes
What is a pericyte?
- stabilize capillary walls
- control permeability of the capillary’s membrane
What are the 3 types of capillaries?
continuous, fenestrated and sinusoidal
What differentiates the 3 types of capillaries?
Continuous capillaries: least permeable, most common
In muscles and the skin: they have endothelial cells linked by tight junctions => uninterrupted lining
In the CNS: they contain intercellular clefts that allow for limited fluid and small solute passage
Fenestrated capillaries: Endothelial cells with pores or fenestrations meaning they have higher permeability
small intestine, endocrine organs and
kidneys
Sinusoidal capillaries: modified and leaky, they have large and irregular lumens which are usually porous or fenestrated, a few tight junctions and large intercellular clefts for proteins and RBCs to pass through
Define microcirculation
Flow of blood through arterioles to venules through a capillary bed
How is flow through a capillary bed regulated?
By the diameter of the arteriole
What is a terminal arteriole?
It’s a branch of an arteriole that further divides into 10-20 smaller “exchange vessels” or true capillaries for gas exchange, forming a capillary bed
What are further features (additional to true capillaries, terminal arterioles, arterioles and veins) that belong to capillary beds?
Precapillary sphincters, metarterioles (kind of like a main branch of the arteriole past the terminus of division). thoroughfare channels (main branch of a venule)
What is a venule?
- Formed in areas where capillary beds unite
- post capillary venules have only endothelium and pericytes, whereas some larger ones have sparse tunica media and thin tunica externa
What is a vein?
- Where venules converge
- they have a tunica externa, media, and intima, but with thinner walls and larger lumens than arteries
- they have a lesser amount of muscle in the tunica media and minimal elastin
- the tunica externa is its thickest layer
What is the capacitance vessel or blood reservoir?
When up to 65% of blood is located in the veins at any one time