Blood Pressure Flashcards
Systole
The phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle contracts and pumps blood from the chambers into arteries
Diastole
The phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle relaxes and lets the chambers fill with deoxygenated blood
Blood pressure
Pressure of the blood against the walls of the blood vessels, especially arteries
Types of blood vessels
- Arteries
- Veins
- Capillaries
What are arteries?
An artery is a blood vessel that generally take oxygenated blood away from the heart
- Thick walls
- Elastic
- Higher pressure than veins
- Lumen can widen for more blood flow
What are veins ?
A vein is a blood vessel that generally carries deoxygenated blood to the heart
- Thinner walls
- Less elastic
- Lower blood pressure than arteries
- Contains valves that stop back flow
What are capillaries?
Capillaries are microscopic vessels - just one cell thick - that link arteries and veins
- Very low blood pressure
Vascular Shunting
When working your muscles need a lot more blood for movement so your body works to get more blood to your muscles
What is blood made up of ?
- Red blood cells
- White blood cells
- Platelets
- Plasma
Red blood cells
Most cells in your bodies are discs called red blood cells or erythrocytes. The pigment the gives the cells their is haemoglobin, and this is the part of blood that attracts oxygen, picking it up in the lungs and delivering it to tissues
White blood cells
The blood also contains white blood cells or leukocytes that are transparent. These have an information function as the defence system of the body, because they destroy pathogens, which can cause illness. Some white blood cells engulf bacteria or viruses and digest them, while others destroy the pathogens with chemicals called antibodies
Blood Platelets
Formed in the red bone marrow. They are concerned with production of a substance called thrombokinase, which is essential for clotting the blood. Without enough platelets we wouldn’t stop bleeding
Plasma
- Regulates blood temp
- Transports nutrients to cells, waste like urea
- Maintains blood pressure
