Blood Vessels And Their Function Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the four types of blood vessel?

A

Arteries
Artérioles
Capillaries
Veins

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2
Q

What do arteries carry?

A

Blood away from the heart and into artérioles.

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3
Q

What are artérioles?

A

These are smaller arteries that control blood flow from arteries to capillaries.

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4
Q

What are capillaries?

A

These are tiny vessels that link artérioles to veins.

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5
Q

What do veins do?

A

They carry blood from capillaries back to the heart.

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6
Q

What is the structure of blood vessels?

A
From the outside in:
Tough fibrous outer layer
Muscle layer
Elastic layer
Thin inner lining. (Endothelium)
Lumen
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7
Q

What differs between each type of blood vessel?

A

The proportions of each layer.

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8
Q

What does the tough fibrous outer layer resist?

A

Pressure changes from both within and outside.

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9
Q

What can the muscle layer do?

A

It can contract which allows it to control the flow of blood.

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10
Q

What does the elastic layer help to maintain?

A

It helps to maintain blood pressure by stretching and springing back (recoiling).

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11
Q

Why is the inner lining (endothelium) smooth?

A

To reduce friction.

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12
Q

Why is the endothelium thin?

A

To allow diffusion.

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13
Q

What is the lumen?

A

The central cavity of the blood vessel through which blood flows.

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14
Q

What is the difference between artérioles and arteries?

A

Artérioles are smaller in diameter and have a relatively larger muscle layer and lumen.

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15
Q

What has the biggest lumen?

A

Veins

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16
Q

What layers do capillaries have?

A

Lumen and lining layer.

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17
Q

Is the elastic tissue a muscle?

A

No

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18
Q

Which is bigger the lining of the artery or the vein?

A

The vein.

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19
Q

What is the function of a n artery?

A

To transport blood rapidly under high pressure from the heart to the tissues.

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20
Q

In what four ways are arteries adapted to their function?

A

They have a thick muscle layer compared to veins.
The elastic layer is relatively thick compared to veins.
The overall thickness of the wall is great.
There are no valves.

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21
Q

How does the thick muscle layer aid the function of arteries?

A

This means that smaller arteries can be constricted and dilated in order to control the amount of blood passing through them.

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22
Q

Why is it important that the elastic layer of arteries is thick?

A

This is because the blood pressure is high.

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23
Q

When is the elastic layer stretched?

A

During systole.

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24
Q

When does the elastic layer spring back?

A

During diastole

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25
Q

What helps maintain high pressure and smooth pressure surges created by the heart?

A

The stretching and recoil of the elastic layer of the artery.

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26
Q

What does the great overall thickness of arteries mean?

A

The blood vessel will not break under pressure.

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27
Q

Are there no valves in all arteries?

A

No- there are only valves in the arteries near the heart, apart from that there are no valves.

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28
Q

Why are there no valves?

A

The blood is under constant high pressure due to the heart pumping blood into the arteries which means there is no back flow of blood.

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29
Q

What is the function of artérioles?

A

They carry blood under lower pressures from the arteries to the capillaries. They also control the flow of blood between the two.

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30
Q

Explain the function of artérioles.

A

The muscle layer is relatively thicker than arteries.

The elastic layer is relatively thinner than arteries.

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31
Q

Why is it beneficial that the muscle layer in artérioles is thicker than that in arteries?

A

The contraction of this muscle layer allows constriction of the lumen of the artériole. This restricts blood flow and so controls the movement of blood into the capillaries.

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32
Q

Why is the elastic layer of artérioles relatively thinner than that of arteries?

A

The blood pressure is lower.

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33
Q

What do veins do?

A

They transport blood slowly, under low pressure, from the capillaries in tissues to the heart.

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34
Q

Explain the structure of veins.

A

Relatively thin muscle layer.
Thin elastic layer.
Wall isn’t very thick.
Valves at intervals throughout.

35
Q

Why is the muscle layer of veins relatively thin compared to arteries?

A

This is because veins carry blood away from the tissues and therefore their constriction and dilation cannot control the flow of blood to the tissues.

36
Q

Why is the elastic layer of veins relatively thin compared to arteries?

A

The low pressure in the veins will therefore mean that they don’t burst or recoil.

37
Q

Why is there no need for a thick wall in veins?

A

The pressure is low so there is no chance of bursting. It also allows them to be flattened easily which aids the flow of blood within them.

38
Q

Why are pocket valves needed in veins?

A

To stop the back flow of blood.

39
Q

What happens to veins when muscles contract?

A

They are compressed which pressurises the blood within them.

40
Q

What is the function of capillaries?

A

To exchange metabolic materials such as oxygen, carbon dioxide and glucose between the blood and the cells.

41
Q

What is the flow of blood in capillaries like and why?

A

It is slower to allow more time for the exchange of materials.

42
Q

What is the structure of capillaries?

A

Walls mostly consist of the lining layer.
Numerous and highly branched.
Narrow diameter.
Narrow lumen
Spaces between the lining (endothelial) cells.

43
Q

Why do the capillary walls mainly consist of a lining layer?

A

This makes them thin so that the diffusion distance is shorter. This makes diffusion faster.

44
Q

Why are capillaries numerous and highly branched?

A

To provide a large surface area for exchange.

45
Q

Why do capillaries have a narrow diameter?

A

To permeate the tissues which means that no cell is far from a capillary and there is a short diffusion pathway.

46
Q

Why is the lumen of capillaries narrow?

A

So that the red blood cells are squeezed flash against the side of a capillary which brings them even closer to the cells.

47
Q

Why are the spaces between the endothelial cells in capillaries?

A

To allow white blood cells to escape and deal with infections.

48
Q

What is the final journey do metabolic materials made of?

A

Tissue fluid as capillaries cannot reach every cell.

49
Q

What is tissue fluid?

A

A watery liquid.

50
Q

What does tissue fluid contain?

A
Glucose
Amino acids
Fatty acids
Ions in solution
Oxygen 
Carbon dioxide
Waste materials.
51
Q

What does tissue fluid exchange to the cells?

A
Glucose
Amino acids 
Fatty acids
Ions in solution
Oxygen
52
Q

What does tissue fluid remove from cells?

A

Carbon dioxide

Other waste materials.

53
Q

What does tissue fluid bathe?

A

Every cell in the body.

54
Q

What is tissue fluid formed from?

A

Blood plasma

55
Q

What is the composition of blood plasma controlled by?

A

Homeostatic systems.

56
Q

What does tissue fluid mostly provide?

A

A constant environment for the cells it surrounds.

57
Q

What does the pumping by the heart create?

A

Hydrostatic pressure.

58
Q

Where is the hydrostatic pressure created?

A

At the arterial end of the capillaries.

59
Q

What does the hydrostatic pressure cause?

A

This causes the tissue fluid to move out of the blood plasma.

60
Q

What is the outward pressure opposed by?

A

Hydrostatic pressure of the tissue fluid outside the capillaries, which resists outward movement of liquid.
The lower water potential of the blood, due to the plasma proteins, that causes water to move back into the blood within the capillaries.

61
Q

What is the combined effect of all the forces?

A

To create an overall pressure that pushes tissue fluid out of the capillaries at the arterial end.

62
Q

What so the pressure only small enough to do?

A

It is only enough to force out the tissue fluid big the small molecules out of the capillaries. This leaves all cells and proteins in the blood.

63
Q

What is the type of filtration under pressure called?

A

Ultrafiltration

64
Q

Why happens once tissue fluid has exchange metabolic materials with the cells?

A

It is returned to the circulatory system.

65
Q

Where does most of the tissue fluid return?

A

To the blood plasma directly via the capillaries.

66
Q

What does the loss f te tissue fluid from the capillaries reduce?

A

The hydrostatic pressure inside them.

67
Q

What happens by the time the blood has reached the venous end of the capillary network?

A

It’s hydrostatic pressure is usually lower than that of he tissue fluid outside of it.

68
Q

What forces the tissue fluid back into the capillaries?

A

The higher hydrostatic pressure outside the capillaries.

69
Q

Why does the plasma have a lower water potential than the tissue fluid?

A

This is because the plasma has lost water but still contains proteins. This means that water leaves the tissue by osmosis down a water potential gradient.

70
Q

How did the tissue fluid lose most of its oxygen and nutrients?

A

By diffusion

71
Q

Does all tissue fluid return to the capillaries?

A

No

72
Q

Where does the remainder of the tissue fluid go?

A

To the lymphatic system.

73
Q

What is the lymphatic system?

A

This is a system of vessels gang begin in the tissues.

74
Q

What do the vessels in the initial start of the lymphatic system resemble?

A

They resemble capillaries except they have dead ends.

75
Q

What do the vessels in the lymphatic system originally merge into?

A

Vessels hat form a network throughout the body.

76
Q

What do the larger lymphatic vessels do?

A

They drain their contents back into the bloodstream via two ducts that join veins close to the heart.

77
Q

Are the contents of the lymphatic system moved by the heart?

A

No

78
Q

What re the contents of the lymphatic system?

A

Lymph

79
Q

What moves the lymph?

A

Hydrostatic pressure.

The contraction of body muscles.

80
Q

Do lymphatic vessels have valves?

A

Yes

81
Q

Why do lymphatic vessels have valves?

A

To ensure the lymph moves from the tissues to the heart.

82
Q

What is the hydrostatic pressure n the lymphatic system of?

A

The tissue fluid that has left the capillaries.

83
Q

What do muscle contractions do to the lymph vessels?

A

Squeeze them