tissue fluid Flashcards
(10 cards)
What is tissue fluid?
Tissue fluid is the fluid that surrounds body cells and allows the exchange of substances between blood and cells.
Where is tissue fluid formed?
At the arterial end of capillaries.
What forces cause the formation of tissue fluid?
High hydrostatic pressure in the capillary forces plasma out of the blood.
Which substances leave the capillary to form tissue fluid?
Water, oxygen, glucose, and other small molecules (not proteins or red blood cells).
Why do plasma proteins not leave the capillaries?
Plasma proteins are too large to pass through the capillary wall.
What happens to hydrostatic pressure along the capillary?
It decreases from the arterial end to the venous end due to fluid loss and friction.
What force causes tissue fluid to return to the capillary?
Water returns by osmosis due to a lower water potential inside the capillary created by plasma proteins (oncotic pressure).
What happens to excess tissue fluid that doesn’t return to the capillary?
It enters the lymphatic system and eventually returns to the blood.
What two pressures determine tissue fluid movement?
Hydrostatic pressure and oncotic pressure.
What condition can occur if too much tissue fluid forms?
Oedema – swelling due to excess fluid in tissues.
