Blood Pressure Flashcards
Whats systole?
The phase of the heart beat when the heart muscle contracts and pumps blood from the chambers into the arteries.
Whats diastole ?
The phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle relaxes and lets the chambers fill with blood.
Whats blood pressure ?
Presume of the blood against the walls of the blood vessels, especially the arteries.
What are the 3 main types of blood vessels?
Arteries, veins and capillaries.
What are arteries?
An artery is a blood vessel taking blood away from the heart. Arteries have thicker walls.
What is a vein?
A vein is a vessel carrying blood to the heart. Veins have much thinner walls, are less elastic and carry blood at a lower pressure than arteries. Veins rarely pulsate.
Whats capillaries?
Capillaries are microscopic vessels - just one cell thick - that link arteries with veins. The blood pressure in capillaries is very low.
What is vascular shunting?
When you exercise, the distribution of the blood in your body changes. Your muscles need a lot more blood for movement, so your body works to get more blood to your muscles.
What are red blood cells?
Most of the cells in your blood are called red blood cells or erythrocytes. The pigment that gives the cells their colour is haemoglobin, and this is part if the blood that attracts oxygen, picking it up in the lungs and delivering it to the tissues.
What are white blood cells?
The blood also contains transparent cells called white blood cells or leukocytes. These have an important function as a defence system of the body, because they destroy pathogens, which can cause illness. Some white blood cells completely engulf bacteria or viruses and digest them, while others destroy the pathogens with chemicals called antibodies.
What are blood plate platelets?
Blood platelets are formed in the red bone marrow. They are concerned with the production of a substance called thrombokinase , which is essential for the clotting of blood. A decreased number of platelets in the blood can be a extremely dangerous condition, for example undergoing a serious operation.
Whats plasma?
Blood plasma is a pale, straw coloured liquid made up of 90 percent water. It contains a range of substances, including sodium chloride (common salt), calcium, sugar (glucose), antibodies, urea and other waste products.
