Blood Vessels Flashcards
a closed transport system
vascular system
carries blood away from the heart
arteries
carries blood towards the heart
veins
smallest arteries
arterioles
smallest veins
venules
lines the lumen, or interior of the vessels, is a thin layer of endothelium
tunica intima
bulky, middle layer of tunics, made up mostly of smooth muscle and elastic fibers
tunica media
sheets of elastic tissue
elastic laminae
the outermost tunic, composed largely of fibrous connective tissue
tunica externa
the flow of blood from an arteriole to a venule - that is through a capillary bed
microcirculation
a vessel that directly connects the arteriole and venule at opposite ends of the bed
vascular shunt
a cuff of smooth muscle fibers, surrounds the root of each true capillary and act as a valve to regulate the flow of blood
precapillary sphincter
the actual exchange vessels
true capillaries
largest artery of the body
aorta
the only branches of ascending aorta which serve the heart
right and left coronary artery