Hemodynamics II Flashcards
Compared to veins, arteries have a larger tunica ___ comprised mainly of ____.
media comprised mainly of smooth muscle
___ have valves to ensue unidirectional flow.
___ consist o fonly a thin endothelial layer of cells.
Veins have valves
Capillaries consist of only a thin endothelial layer of cells
Aorta/Large arteries serve to assist blood flow through their compliance.
Arterioles’ function?
Valves - they regulate blood flow to vascular beds & regulate total peripheral resistance via vasoconstriction & vasodilation controlled through neural and humoral input
Metarterioles
Specialized type of arteriole that connects to venules.
When open, they allow blood flow to bypass the capillary bed and flow directly from arteiroles to venules.
Most common in finger tips & ears.
Blood pressure drops most dramaticlaly across what type of vessel?
Arterioles because they function as the valves.
Their vasoconstriction reduces bp downstream of it.
Capillaries
- Smallest - single layer of endothelial cells with pericytes on the outer layer
- 3 types - continuous, fenestrated, sinusoidal
- Some include fenestrations (pores) to facilitate exchange
- Pinocytosis, diffusion, filtration
- Nutrient & waste products are exchanged w/surrounding tissue
- Numerous in metabolically active organs
The bulk of transcapillary exchange is ___, which follows Fick’s law
Diffusion
According to Fick’s law, what factors drive diffusion?
J = -(Permeabilitymolecule)(Surface areacapillary)(Conctissue-Conccapillary)
- Permeability of the molecule
- SA of the capillary
- Difference in teh conc between capillary and surrounding tissue
Two types of diffusion-mediated capillary exchange (from capillary into surrounding tissue)
-
Flow limited: diffusion of small molecules with high permeability coefficients (e.g. water, NaCl, urea, glucose)
- Diffuse rapidly from the capillary to the surrounding cells so that there’s few by the time it reaches the venous end of the capillary bed.
-
Diffusion limited: large molecules with poor permeability OR small molecules with low capillary density or in the presence of edema
- Remain in the capillary
Under conditions that increase distance between the capillary and cells (e.g. edema or low capillary density) what happens?
normally flow-limited molecule sbecome diffusion-limited as the distance between the cells and capillary become too great
Filtration/absorption through capillaries
Small water soluble molecules move through pores/fenestrations, intercellular clefts, and channels in the endothelium.
Occurs the most in the liver capillaries.
Filtration/Absorption is regulated by
a balance hydrostatic and osmotic pressure nin the capillaries & interstitial fluid
Hydrostatic pressure promotes exchange.
Capillary hydrostatic pressure (Pc) =
Tissue hydrostatic pressures (Pi) =
As blood flows from the arterial side to the venous side, what happens to Pc?
Capillary hydrostatic pressure (Pc) = blood pressure determined by arterial & venous pressure; driving force of filtration
Tissue hydrostatic pressures (Pi) = ~0
Pc drops from ~Parterial to ~Pvenous
Oncotic pressure (pi) is the osmotic pressure exerted by plasma proteins (esp albumin) that don’t easily pass the capillary wall.
Compare oncotic pressure from capillaries to tissue
Albumin is high in capillary plasma (arterial or venous), so
capillary oncotic force >> interstitial fluid oncotic force.
Since capillary oncotic force inhibits loss of water, it promotes absorption.
The Starling equation demonstrates how nutrients are delivered on the arterial side and waste uptake occurs on the venous side. How?
If capillary hydrostatic pressure > capillary oncotic pressure, then +Qf and filtration.
As Pc drops across the capillary bed…
capillary hydrostatic pressure < capillary oncotic pressure, then - Qf and absorption.