Lec: Blood Vessels Flashcards
Name the five classes of blood vessels.
- Arteries
- Arterioles
- Capillaries
- Venues
- Veins
What direction do arteries carry the blood?
Away from the heart
Name three anatomical artery points.
- They start as large, elastic arteries
- They divide to form muscular arteries
- Further division creates arterioles
What do arterioles end in?
Capillary beds
What direction do veins carry blood?
Away from the heart
What is a capillary?
A very small blood vessel that has thin walls to allow for gas exchange between blood and tissues
After leaving arterioles to become capillaries, what do capillaries converge into?
Venules
What do Venules merge to create?
A vein
What is a vasa vasorum?
Vessels in the walls of large blood vessels that supply them with the blood they need to work.
Name the three layers of arteries.
- Tunica Interna
- Tunica Media
- Tunica externa
What is the tunica interna?
The inner lining of the artery or endothelium, consisting of simple squamous epithelium.
They also have a basement membrane and internal elastic lamina
What is the tunica media?
Composed of circular smooth muscle and elastic fibres that allows for immense stretch under pressure.
What is the tunica externa composed of?
This layer is composed of elastic and collagen fibres
What innervates the smooth muscle of the arteries to tell them to contract?
The sympathetic nervous system
What is vasoconstriction?
Contraction of the artery, squeezing of the smooth muscle to contract the artery