Blood Vessels Flashcards
Name the 5 main types of blood vessels. What are their functions?
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Arteries:
- Carry blood away from the heart to the tissues and organs
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Arterioles:
- Smaller arteries that connect to capillaries
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Capillaries
- Site of substance exchange between the blood and body tissues
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Venules
- Connect capillaries to larger veins
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Veins
- Convey blood from the tissue back to the heart
What are the 3 layers of blood vessel wall? Name important components of each layer.
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Tunica interna (aka tunica intima) - innermost layer, contains the
- Endothelium
- Basement Membrane
- Internal elastic lamia
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Tunica media – middle layer, smooth muscles and elastic fibers
- Smooth muscle contraction/relaxation constricts and dilates
- Elastic allows for stretch and recoil
- Regulates the diameter of the lumen
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Tunica externa – outermost layer, adjacent to surrounding tissue
- Elastic and collagen
- Nerves
- Vaso Vasorum
What is endothelium? What are its functions?
- The innermost layer of the Tunica Interna, directly in contact with the blood and is continuous with the endocardial lining of the heart
- Secrete chemical mediators that influence the contractile state of vessel’s overlying smooth muscle
Define vasa vasorum. Where is it located?
- Vaso Vasorum – small blood vessels that supply blood to the tissue of the vessel wall
- Located in the Tunica Externa – the outermost layer of the vessel wall
What are the structural characteristics of elastic arteries? What are their functions?
- AKA Conducting Arteries
- Largest arteries with large diameter with relatively thin walls
- They have a lot of elastic fibers, allowing them to stretch and accommodate the surge of blood and store mechanical energy as a pressure reservoir to help continue to propel blood when the ventricles relax
- (Includes: aorta, pulmonary trunk, brachiocephalic, common carotid, subclavian, common iliac)
What are the structural characteristics of muscular arteries? What are their functions?
- AKA Distributing Arteries
- Medium-sized, more muscle than elastic in the tunica media, thick walls
- Direct the blood flow through vasoconstriction and vasodilation
Define collateral circulation. What is its function? Define end arteries.
- Collateral circulation – alternate route of blood flow to a body through an anastomosis
- If one vessel becomes blocked, circulation is not stopped
- Arteries that do not anastomose are known as end arteries – obstructing them can result in necrosis
What is the function of arteriole?
Why are they called resistance vessels?
Define metarteriole.
What is the function of precapillary sphincter?
- Deliver blood from arteries into capillaries
- They create resistance through vasoconstriction and vasodilation, which
- The terminal end of the arterioles which form branches into the capillary bed
- Control the flow of blood through a capillary bed (or thoroughfare channel) Open and close to allow blood to flow
What are the structure and function of a capillary?
- Smallest of the blood vessels with no tunica media or externa, just a single later of cells and a basement membrane
- Function is to make a surface that allows exchange of nutrients and waste between blood and tissue cells
Define microcirculation.
- The flow of blood from a metarteriole through capillaries into post capillary venules
What is a capillary bed?
- A network of 10-100 capillaries that arises from a single metarteriole
What structure is used to control the flow of blood through a capillary bed?
- Precapillary sphincter
What are the 3 types of capillaries?
What are the structure and locations of each type?
- Continuous
- Continuous tube of endothelial cell plasma membranes, found in brain, skeletal and smooth muscle, connective tissue, lungs
- Fenestrated
- Many small pores, found in kidneys, small intestine, endocrine glands
- Sinusoid
- Wider, large intracellular clefts and large fenestrations to allow proteins/blood cells to enter blood stream, found in liver, red bone marrow, spleen, anterior pituitary and parathyroid glands
Define a portal vein.
What are the 2 portal veins present in the body?
- Where blood passes from one capillary network to another instead of back into a venule
- Hepatic / Liver
- Hypophyseal Portal System (Pituitary)
What are the functions of venules?
- Move blood from capillaries back to veins (also still very porous and exchange nutrients/waste – confirm from book)