Cardiovascular Systems 2 Flashcards
What is the role of the circulatory system?
Provide Oxygen and other nutrients to every cell in the body AND;
Remove Carbon dioxide and other waste products from every cell in the body
What is the driving force of the circulatory system?
The heart
What is the conduit system of the circulatory system?
Vascular Beds - including arteries, capillaries and veins
What do arteries do?
Take blood away from the heart (generally oxygenated)
What do capillaries do?
Deliver blood to tissues
What do veins do?
Take blood to the heart (generally deoxygenated)
What is the relationship between systemic circulation and pulmonary circulation?
The two systems work in parallel - Systemic circulation transports oxygenated blood from the heart throughout the body. Pulmonary circulation brings deoxygenated blood back to the heart.
What is the order of blood flow for systemic circulation?
Left atrium
Left Ventricle
Aorta
Arteries
Arterioles
Capillaries
Venules
Veins
Vena Cava
Right Atrium
Right Ventricle
What is the percentage of cardiac output during pulmonary circulation?
100%
What is systemic circulation?
Systemic circulation transports oxygenated blood from the heart (from the left side) throughout the body.
What is pulmonary circulation?
Pulmonary circulation brings deoxygenated blood back to the heart (into the right side).
What is the order of blood flow for Pulmonary circulation?
Right atrium
Right ventricle
Pulmonary artery
Arterioles
Capillaries
Venules
Pulmonary vein
Left atrium
Left ventricle
What is larger: an artery or vein?
Artery
What is larger: Capillaries or veins?
Veins
Do arteries or veins have more elastic layers in their wall?
Artery
Does an artery or a vein have a wider lumen?
Vein
What order does blood flow through: capillaries, arteries, venules, veins, arterioles.
Arteries
Arterioles
Capillaries
Venules
Veins
What is the largest artery in the body?
Aorta
What does the vena cava enter into?
The right atrium
Which blood vessels are classified as microvasculature?
Terminal arteriole
Capillary
Venule
Size of a blood vessel correlates to what?
The thickness of the wall
Does the aorta or an artery have more smooth muscle?
Artery
Why is there small diffusion distance in capillaries?
Because there is no elastic tissue, smooth muscle or fibrous tissue in their wall.
What is Q?
Blood flow
What is resistance (R) primarily determined by?
Blood vessels
What is the relationship between Q (blood flow) and R (resistance)?
Inversely proportional - meaning if R increases Q decreases.
What is the equation for blood flow?
Flow = Pressure gradient / resistance (Q=P/R)
What does proportional and inversely proportional mean?
Proportional = as one increases so does the other
Inversely proportional = as one increases the other decreases.
If diameter is increased what happens to resistances and flow?
Lower R and higher Q
What is Poiseuille’s Law?
Equation used to calculate resistance in a blood vessel
R = 8In / (pie)r^4
R = resistance
I = blood vessel length
n = fluid viscosity
r = blood vessel radius
What is fluid viscosity?
Referring to the thickness of the fluid
Symbol = n
Radius is to the power of 4, what does this mean?
That even a very small change in radius will cause a large change in resistance
What is the relationship between Resistance and radius?
Inversely proportional
What is Q proportional to?
Pressure gradient (P)
Blood vessel radius (r)
What is Q inversely proportional to?
Resistance (R)
Blood vessel length (l)
fluid viscosity (n)
What is the radius?
Half the circumference (half the length of the inside of a circle)
What do all walls of blood vessels contain: elastic tissue, endothelium or smooth muscle?
Endothelium
What is CSA?
Total vascular cross sectional area
Does resistance increase or decrease as blood vessel size increases?
Decreases (meaning the aorta has smaller resistance than arterioles)
In what blood vessels does pulsatile flow occur?
But doesn’t the aorta prevent any pulsatile flow
Aorta, arteries and arterioles
(pulsatile flow is due the contraction and relaxation of the ventricles - therefore only occurs in early arteries because as you get further away from the heart the effect is not felt).
As CSA increases what happens to velocity?
It decreases - area and velocity are inversely proportional
(Velocity = flow / CSA)
What blood vessel has the largest CSA?
Capillaries
What blood vessel has the fastest velocity?
Aorta (because smaller CSA)
Where is the lowest pressure in the systemic system?
Right atrium
What effect does vascular branching have on CSA, velocity and blood pressure?
High vascular branching increases CSA, decreases velocity and has no relationship to pressure.
How does the high elastic tissue in arteries relate to their function?
High elastic tissue results in elastic recoil (the tendency of stretched elements to return to their original shape).
What structure of arterioles makes them efficient in contraction and relaxation?
High smooth muscle contents
What are the two functions of the aorta and large elastic arteries?
Distribute blood
Pressure reservoir
What does a pressure reservoir do?
Reduce fluctuations in pressure and flow resulting in maintaining flow throughout the cardiac cycle
What enables there to be a pressure reservoir?
Elastic tissue
Does stretch occur during systole or diastole?
Systole
Is stored energy released during systole or diastole?
Diastole
When does recoil occur?
During diastole
What is compliance?
Compliance is the ability of something to stretch (stretchiness).
What is the equation for compliance?
compliance = change in volume / change in pressure
As we get older how does the structure and function of arteries change?
Increased vascular stiffness
Increased vessel diameter
Endothelial dysfunction
VSMC hypertrophy and proliferation
What is hypertrophy?
Hypertrophy is the increase in the volume of an organ or tissue due to the enlargement of its component cells.
What wraps around the vessel of arterioles?
Smooth muscle cells
What is vasoconstriction?
Contraction of the lumen reducing the diameter of blood vessel
What is vasodilation?
The widening of blood vessels as a result of the relaxation of the blood vessel’s muscular walls.
Vasoconstriction of arteries is important in controlling what?
Regulation of blood flow
Why does vasoconstriction change blood flow?
Because it reduces the radium of the blood vessel which effects resistance and in turn decreases blood flow.
What is the units for pressure?
mmHg
What causes the dicrotic notch?
Aortic valves shutting (causing a short increase in pressure).
What is diastolic pressure (DP)?
The minimum pressure just before ventricle contraction
What is systolic pressure (SP)?
The maximum arterial pressure during peak ventricular ejection
What is normal measured BP as SP/DP?
120/80 mmHg
What is hypotension and its likely measured values as SP/DP?
When the pressure of blood circulating around the body is lower than normal or lower than expected.
< 90/60 mmHg
What is hypertension and its likely measured values as SP/DP?
When the pressure of blood circulating around the body is higher than normal or higher than expected.
> 140/90 mmHg
What is pulse pressure?
PP = SP-DP
What is Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP)?
The average blood pressure across the whole body.
MAP = DP + 1/3 x PP
(1/3 because more time in diastole than systole)
What does arterial pressure depend on?
Q and TPR
What is TPR?
Total peripheral resistance = the sum of global resistance from all systemically vascular beds
What sort of variable is MAP?
Homeostatic
Does vasoconstriction increase or decrease MAP in arteries?
Increase
What is meant by altered metabolic demands?
That different parts of the body need different supplies = regional dependant change
If there is regional dependant change in blood flow how is total blood flow affected?
It is not effected - Q can be increased in one area but the same total volume of blood is distributed therefore no overall change in pressure and MAP stays the same.
What is extrinsic control?
Exist outside the organs they control
What is intrinsic control?
Exist inside the organ it controls
What sympathetic nervous system hormone is released for vasoconstriction?
Noradrenaline
What does noradrenaline bind to in order to cause vasoconstriction?
a1-adrenergic receptors
Why does the brain have low numbers of a1-adrenergic receptors?
To ensure that there is limited vasoconstriction - important because the brain needs constant flow of blood.
Why does the skin and GI have a high number of a1-adrenergic receptors?
To allow for high levels of vasoconstriction - which is important because flow needs to be flexible to adapt to day to day activities that require variable levels of blood supply
What do postganglionic autonomic nerves release in order to cause vasodilation?
Nitric oxide
What does the release of nitric oxide cause?
It relaxes smooth muscle cells surrounding arterioles thus causing vasodilation (increased blood flow).
Where in the body is there a specialised innervation system to allowed for increased blood flow?
GI tract and reproductive system (the penis)
What hormones trigger vasoconstriction?
Adrenaline, Angiotensin 2 and vasopressin
+ Noreadrenaline
What hormones trigger vasodilation?
Adrenaline and atrial natriuretic peptide
Why can adrenaline trigger both constriction and dilation?
Because there are different types of adrenaline receptors expressed:
a1-adrenergic receptors causing constriction
and
b2-adrenergic receptors causing dilation
What is the predominant receptor expressed on skeletal muscle?
B2-adrenergic receptor
What does it mean to be vasoactive?
Actively affecting the diameter of blood vessels
How does ADH/vasopressin increase blood volume?
It increases H2O reabsorption
How does angiotensin 2 increase blood volume?
stimulates Na+ reabsorption
How does Atrial Natriuretic peptide (ANP) decrease blood volume?
Decreased H20 reabsorption
What hormone decreases H2O reabsorption?
Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP)
What are not involved in intrinsic control of vascular diameter?
No nerves or hormones involved
What is active hyperemia?
Hyperaemia is the auto regulation process by which the body adjusts blood flow to match change in local metabolism.
It is a tissue specific response
Where in the body is there a highly developed active hyperaemia system?
Skeletal muscles and cardiac tissue because they have high metabolic demands
What is reactive hyperaemia?
Control of blood flow to maintain flow with change in perfusion pressure - meaning that it is in response to a drop in blood pressure in muscle (not local metabolism)
(also called flow auto regulation)
What are the two types of intrinsic controls of arterial diameter?
Active and reactive hyperaemia
*reactive hyperaemia also called auto flow regulation
What is perfusion pressure?
Perfusion pressure is how much pressure it takes to push blood through all the blood vessels in a specific area.
What does myogenic mean?
From the muscle
What is the primary function of capillaries?
Exchange of nutrients and metabolic end products
What is the approx diffusion distance between capillaries and cells?
< 100 um