Haemodynamics 1 Flashcards
What are Haemodynamics?
Physical factors that control blood flow
What is serum?
Plasma without clotting factors
What are the 4 components of whole blood?
- RBC
- WBC and platelets (Buffy coat)
- Plasma
What is viscosity?
- Thickness and stickiness of blood
- Resistance of fluid against flow
When does whole blood viscosity change?
What does the changes result in?
- Doesn’t change very much in healthy individuals
Changes seen in:
- Polycythaemia (RBCs)
- Thrombocythaemia (platelets)
- Leukaemia (WBCs)
You get sludgey, thick blood, leading to dry gangrene in peripheries - coagulative necrosis due to lack of blood supply
When does plasma viscosity change?
- Minor changes to plasma viscosity regularly occur
- Typically from acute phase plasma proteins (fibrinogen, compliment, C-Reactive Protein)
What is CRP?
- C reactive protein, used as a marker of inflammation
- Also an opsonin
What is flow? Units?
Volume transferred per unit of time (L/min) or mL/min usually for blood
What is pressure?
Units? Significance in blood?
Force per unit area (mmHg - millimetres of mercury to measure BP) - SI unit is pascal
Blood moves from high (artery) —> low pressure (veins)
Calculating flow
Flow = pressure change / resistance (resistance is 1/K where K is measure of conductance)
OR
Conductance x change in pressure
What is resistance?
Measure of difficulty of flow - reciprocal/opposite of K = 1/K (conductance)
How do you calculate resistance?
What is resistance to flow in blood vessels known as?
What happens if this resistance increases?
Resistance = pressure change / flow
- Vascular resistance
If vascular resistance increases:
- Pressure increases
- Flow decreases
What is the triangle for flow, resistance and pressure change?
Laminar flow vs Turbulent flow
Laminar: (4)
- Smooth
- Silent
- Maintains energy
- Moves in stream lines
Turbulent: (3)
- Disorganised
- Noisy
- Energy lost
What is the typical blood flow of most arteries, arterioles, venues and veins?
Laminar flow