Lecture 9: Arterial vasculature

Question 1

what are the 3 major layers of the blood vessel?

Answer 1

Tunica intima (endothelium), tunica media (elastin, collagen, smooth muscle), tunica adventitia (nerves, vaso vasorum - blood vessels feeding blood vessels)

Question 2

Describe trends in Pressure, velocity and CSA

Answer 2

Pressure is pulsatile, decreases with time.

velocity drastically drops across capillaries, CSA mirrors this in reverse

Question 3

What determines resistance in a blood vessel?

Answer 3

Poiseuille’s Law (proportional to 1/r^4), arrangement of blood vessels (parallel pathways)

Question 4

Define compliance

Answer 4

ease of stretching. Change in volume over change in pressure. Decreases pulsatility (stores part of cardiac pulse wave)

Question 5

Describe trends of compliance

Answer 5

Curvilinear, decreases with age.

decreased compliance = increased pulsatility, impaired baroreceptor reflex, increased systolic pressure