Blood vessels Flashcards
The left side of the heart pumps blood through an estimated _________ km of blood vessels.
100,000 km
Function of blood vessels
Maintain homeostasis
Adjust velocity and volume of blood
Hemodynamics
The study of the mechanics involved in circulating blood within the blood vessels of the body.
What are the layers of the walls of a blood vessel?
Tunica interna
Tunica media
Tunic external
Tunica interna
Epithelial inner lining of a blood vessel.
Tunica media
Middle layer of a blood vessel wall.
Made of smooth muscle and elastic CT.
Displays greatest variation among different vessel types.
Regulates diameter of lumen, effecting blood pressure and rate of flow.
Helps limit blood loss with injury.
Allows stretch and recoil.
Separated from tunica externa by external elastic lamina.
Tunica externa.
Outer covering of a blood vessel wall.
Connective tissue. Elastin and collagen, numerous nerves and blood vessels.
Helps anchor vessel to surrounding tissue
Three components of the tunica interna
- Endothelium (inside layer). Exposed to blood in the lumen. Continuous through CV system. Composed of simple squamous epithelium.
- Basement membrane. Reticular fibres that provide support for epithelial layer.
- Internal elastic Lamina. Boundaey between tunica interna and media. Mainly elastic fibres to allow for distensibility and stretch.
Vaso vasorum
Small blood vessels that supply blood to the tissues of the vessels.
Internal elastic lamina
Boundary between tunica interna and tunica media.
Mainly elastic fibres.
External elastic lamina.
Separates tunica externa and tunica media
Arteries
Three typical layers. High compliance (adaptable to changes in volume and pressure)
Innervated by ANS
Elastic and muscular
Vasoconstriction
Decrease in diameter of artery/arteriole
Sympathetic response to need to increase BP, restrict blood flow to damaged area
Vasodilation
Caused by decrease in sympathetically (not parasympathetic activity)
Increase diameter of artery/arterioles
Elastic arteries
“Conducting arteries”
Largest diameter arteries in the body
Aorta, pulmonary trunk, major aortic branches
Walls thin relative to diameter.
Thick turnica media made of elastic fibres called elastic lamellae
Stretch and expand to accommodate surge of blood during ventricular systole.
Pressure reservoir: store mechanical energy, so can still propel blood forward when ventricles relaxes.
Muscular arteries
“Distributing arteries”.
Medium sized arteries.
The tunica media contain more smooth muscle and fewer elastic fibres than elastic arteries.
Well defined internal elastic lamina, thin externa elastic lamina.
Turnica externa has loose structure, and often thicker than turnica media.
Greater vasoconstriction and vasodilation
Responsible for control of rate of blood flow.
Cannot recoil and propel blood.
Vascular tone.
The ability of the muscle to contract and maintain a state of partial contraction.
Similar to resting muscle tone.
Important in maintaining pressure and efficient blood flow.
Anastomoses
Union of branches of two or more arteries, veins, arterioles or venules supplying the same body region.
Collateral circulation
Alternative route of blood flow to a body part through an anastomoses.
End arteries
Arteries without collateral circulation
Lead to capillary beds.
Arterioles
Small artery, “resistance vessels”
Not much bigger than capillaries.
Regulate blood flow into capillary beds.
Thin turnica interna.
Thin fenestrated internal elastic lamina (smaller than RBC).
Turnica media consists of 1-2 layers of smooth muscle
Turnica externa – loose CT containing unmyleinated sympathetic nerves. (Impact blood flow and resistance via diameter change)
Key role: regulating blood flow from arteries into capillaries by regulating resistance.
Metarteriole
Terminal end of arteriole, toward capillary bed.
Precapillary sphincter
At junction of arteriole and capillary.
Monitors blood flow.
Resistance
Opposition to blood flow.
Increased resistance –> vasoconstriction.
Decreased resistance –> vasodilation
Capillaries
Exchange vessels.
Primary function: substance exchange between blood and interstitial fluid.
Lack tunica media and tunica externa.
Walls composed of only a single layer of endothelial cells and a basement membrane.
Microcirculation
Blood circulating through capillaries.
Metarteriole – (precapillary sphincter) –> capillary bed –> postcapillary venule
Can go straight from metarteriole to post capillary venule
Capillary bed
Network of 10-100 capillaries arising from a single metarteriole
Thoroughfare channel
A capillary that connects distal metartiole to start of venules.
No smooth muscle.
Blood bypasses capillary bed.
Vasomotion
Intermittent contraction and relaxation of smooth muscles.
Occurs approximately 5-10 times/min
Due to chemicals (ie NO) released by endothelial cells.
Types of capillaries
- Continuous (classic)
- Fenestrated (windowed)
- Sinusoid. (Bill the Cat)
Continuous capillary
- continuous endothelium with intermittent breaks called Intercellular Clefts.
- brain, lungs, skeletal, smooth mm, CTz
- normal sized products.
Fenestrated capillaries.
Tiny pores present in endothelium
Larger products
Kidneys, villi of small intestine, endocrine glands.
Sinusoid capillaries.
Wider and more winding Really big fenestrations Missing basement membrane Large intercellular clefts. Found in RBM, spleen, liver, anterior pituitary, parathyroid glands.
Portal system
Allows passage of blood from one capillary bed to another through a portal vein.
Named from second capillary bed.
Two main portal system locations
- Liver (hepatic portal)
2. Pituitary gland (hypopophyseal)
Venules
Venules drain capillary blood and begins to return blood to heart.
Post capillary venules very porous and function as significant sites of exchange.
Muscular venules have 1-2 layers of smooth muscle; no exchange.