Control of Blood Flow lecture Flashcards
What is the basis of the feedback loop affecting the rate of tissue blood flow?
Decreased O2 delivery or increased tissue metabolism
Results in Decreased Tissue O2
Results in relaxation of arterioles and pre-capillary sphincters.
This increases tissue blood flow
Define diastolic pressure
The lowest arterial pressure in a cardiac cycle
Pressure in arteries during ventricular relaxation aka no blood is being ejected from the left ventricle
Define systolic blood pressure
The higest arterial pressure measured during a cardiac cycle
Pressure in arteries after blood has been ejected during systole
What is the dicrotic notch in blood pressure?
A blip or temporary decrease in arterial pressure
Produced when the aortic valve closes, produces a temporary retrograde of blood from the aorta towards the valve resulting in brefily decreasing aortic pressure below the systolic value
Define pulse pressure?
The difference between systolic pressure and diastolic pressure
SP-DP
This reflected the volume of blood ejected from the left ventricle aka the stroke volume
Define mean arterial pulse pressure.
The average pressure over a complete cardiac cycle
What is the normal range of mean arterial pressure?
70-100mmHg
How do you calculatre mean arterial pressure?
DP + 1/3 pulse pressure
Draw a diagram to show how arterial pressure changes over one cardiac cycle.
Explain these changes.
Disatolic pressure - lowest pressure as heart relaxed, no blood ejected
Blood ejected as ventricles contract - eventually reach systolic pressure _ highest pressure when all blood is ejected from left ventricle
Dicrotic notch - closure of aortic valve causes temporarily back flow of blood towards the heart
Ventricles relax - return to diastolic
Mean arterial pressure is closer the diastolic than systolic as spend longer amount of cycle in diastolic than systolic.
Describe how blood pressure changes over age.
Why?
Tends to increase with age
Most rapidly from 0-20yrs, then slows down to almost stable before increasing again rapidly from 60yrs plus
Decreased elasticity in ageing arterial walls, results in decreased compliance so stroke volume ejected causes a larger increase in pressure than a young artery.
Causes an increase in pulse pressure as increase in systolic is greater than diastolic
Describe how baroreceptors play a role in increasing cardiac output?
Low blood pressure - decreasing stretch on baroreceptors (carotid sins and aortic arch) - decreased action potential generation - reduced firing rate up the glossopharyngeal and vagus afferent nerve respectively
Decreased signal detection in the nucleus tractus solitarus.
Results in increased sympathetic tone originating from the cardiac accelerator and the vasoconstrictor centre
The vasoconstrictor centre projects efferent neurons to cause vasoconstriction of arterioles and veins
The cardiac accelerator projects efferents to heart to increase firing rate of SAN and increase conduction velocity through AV node and increased contractility
Decreased activity of the cardiac decelerator centre
Describe how the baroreceptor reflex is activated during hypertension.
Increased blood pressure causes increased stretch on the baroreceptor (carotid sinus and aortic arch), resulting change in membrane potential is likely to cause an action potential
Increased afferent signals up (glossopharyngeal and vagus nerve)
Signals are interpreted in the nucleus tractus solitarus
Increased parasympathetic tone via increased activity of the cardiac decelerator centre, efferent fibres travel in vagus nerve and synpase on the SA node, resulting in decreased firing rate of the the SAN - decreased heart rate
Also reduced sympathetic tone through decreased activity of the cardiac accelerator and vasoconstrictor resulting in dilation of blood vessels, and reduced contractility and conductivity of the heart
Therefore, it has negative chronotopic, dronotropic and ionotropic effects.
Where is the nucleus tractus solitarus found?
The medulla
What are the antomical features of the vasoconstrictor centre?
Found in upper medulla and lower pons
Efferent neurons are sympathetic and synapse in the spinal cord then in the sympathetic ganglion then onto target organs
Produce vasocontrictions
What are the featurs of the cardiac accelerator centre?
Efferent are sympathetic
Synapse in spinal cord then sympathetic ganglia then finally the heart
Positive chronotropic, dromotropic (through AV noce_ and inotropic effects
What are the antatomical features of the cardiac decelerator centre?
Efferent fibres are part of the parasympathetic nervous syste,
Travel in vagus nerve and synapse in the SAN
Decrease heart rate.
What is the baroreceptor reflex to hemorrhage?
Blood loss causes a decrease in mean arterial pressure
Results in decreased stretch on carotid sinus and aortic arch baroreceptors
Decreased firing rate of glossopharyngeal and vagus nerve.
Lack of signal is interpreted in the Nucleus Tractus Solitarus
Results in increased sympathetic activity to the heart and blood vessels : inc HR, contractility, constriction of arterioles (inc TPR), constriction of veins (inc venous return and decreased unstressed volume)
Decreased parasympathetic activity to heart = decreased heart rate
Mean arterial pressure increases back to normal as HR, contractility and cardiac output increase
What are the three mechanisms or response aspects after a haemorrhage?
- Baroreceptor reflex
- RAAS system
- Capillaries
What happens in the capillary response to hemorrhage?
Mean hydrostatis pressure of the capillary decreased
Increased fluid absorption (due to starling forces)
Results in increased blood volume
This is self limiting - stops once starling forces are rebalanced
What are the different ways in which the RAAS system can be activated?
Decreased BP - activates SANS and dec GFR
SANS - activate Beta 1 receptors on JG cells (afferent arteriole)
Decreased GFR = dec Na+/Cl- delivery to the macula densa in DCT (osmoreceptors)
Decreased renal blood flow hence perfusion (detected by mechanoreceptors in the afferent arteriole)
All result in the conversion of pro-renin to renin and release from juxtaglomerular cells
What is the Frank Straling mechanism in the cardiovascular system?
Increased venous return
Increased pre-load
Stretch on myocytes
Increased contractility
Resutls in increased stroke volume
Hence increased cardiac output.
What is the molecular pathway of RAAS?
Renin converts angiotensinogen (produced in the liver) to angiotensin 1
ACE 1 enzyme (in lungs and kidney) converts the Angiotensin 2
Angiotensin 2 brings about physiological effects.
What are the physiological effects of angiotensin 2?
- Binds to adrenal cortex to zone glomerulosa to release aldosterone (inc Na+ reabsorption in DCT/CD principle cells)
- Binds to blood vessels to cause vasoconstriction - inc TPR
- Binds to hypothalamus - increase thirst and ADH secretion (V1 vasoconstriction, V2 DCT/CD principle cells aquaporins, LOH NKCC2 counter current effect)
- Renal blood vessels - vasoconstriction of efferent - increase GFR ( more filtering means more time to secrete and reabsorb electrolytes)
- Renal PCT - increase Na+ H+ exchange, inc Na+ HCO3- reabsoprtion
Binds to AT1 receptors is a GPCR.
By what mechanisms does RAAS result in an increase in blood pressure?
Increase TPR (angiotensin 2)
Increase sodium reabsoprtion - inc ECF volume leading to an increase in BP
Increased water retention - increase body fluid volume
What is the most important effect of the RAAS system?
Aldosterone increase renal Na+ reabsoprtion
Increase total Na+ content - inc ECF volume hence blood volume
Increase venous return - inc cardiac output (Frank-Starling mechanism)
Increase in cardiac output increase Pa
What is the average blood volume of a 70kg male?
5 litres
How is our blood volume distributed?
85% in systemic circulation - 3/4 in the veins and remaining in arteires and capillaries
10% in pulmonary circulation
5% remains in cardiac chambers at end of diastole
What different histological features regulate the properties of blood vessels?
Endothelial cells
Elastic fibres
Collagen fibres
Smooth muscle
What is the role of endothelial cells in blood vessels?
Single layer throughout vascular tree
Connected by junctional complexes in arteries (less so in veins)
Capillaries have varying leakiness of junctional complexes - key features between sinusoidal, continuous and fenestrated capillaries
What is the role of elastic fibres in blood vessels?
Made of an elastin core covered by microfibrils
Elastic properties of arteries, arterioles and veins (not present in capillaries)
Allow to stretch under high blood pressure and return to normal state during diastole - responsible for passive tension of the blood vessel wall
What is the role of collagen fibres in blood vessels?
Stiffer than elastic fibres
In all vessels except capillaries
Responsible for passive tension of blood vessel walls
What is the role of smooth muscle cells in blood vessels?
All but not capillaries
Contraction is responsible for active tension in blood vessels.
What is the function of veins?
Carry blood at very low pressures
Walls very thin muscle controlled by ANS
Wide lumen for large blood volume
Blood reservoirs to adjust preload
What are the properties of venules?
Carry blood at low pressures
Walls resemble capillaries but have some extra minimal smooth muscle and connective tissue
Low pressure conduits.
What are the properties of capillaries?
Carry blood at low pressure
walls are as thick as a single endothelial cell (+/- basement membrane)
Very low flow rate
Maximise exchange between blood and cells
What are the features of small arteries/arterioles?
Carry blood at modest pressure
Thick muscular waslls
Muscle under ANS and local factor control
Faucet to control flow to tissues
What are the features of arteries?
Carry blood at high pressure
Thick muscular walls for strength
Elastic allows minimal expansion
Relativly narrow lumen
High pressure conduits.
Why are arterioles the most important structures at regulating blood flow to the tissues?
Have an extensive smooth muscle wall - can provide the highest resistance to blood flow
Is tonically activate (always contracted)
SANS can act on alpha 1 adrenergic receptors in periphery to cause constriction to further increase resistance
SANS can act on beta 2 adrenergic receptors in arterioles in skeletal muscle to cause dilation to decrease resistance (this is rarer)