Lecture 17: Major Blood Vessels

Question 1

vasoconstriction

Answer 1

• the narrowing (constriction) of blood vessels by small muscles in their walls
• when blood vessels constrict, blood flow is slowed or blocked

Question 2

vasodilation

Answer 2

• the widening of blood vessels as a result of the relaxation of the blood vessel’s muscular walls
• enhances blood flow to areas of the body that are lacking oxygen and/or nutrients

Question 3

how is blood pressure controlled?

Answer 3

constriction (narrowing) and dilation (widening) of arterioles influence blood pressure

Question 4

what are the layers of a blood vessel?

Answer 4

• tunica intima (innermost)
• tunica media
• tunica externa (outermost)

Question 5

what is a lumen?

Answer 5

• a hollow passageway through which blood flows
• arteries have smaller lumens than veins
• a characteristic that helps to maintain the pressure of blood moving through the system

Question 6

what is Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC)?

Answer 6

• a serious, often fatal condition where microclotting occurs throughout the body’s blood vessels and is accompanied by bleeding
• caused by the body’s response to infection, injury or illness

Question 7

what are the 4 ways blood can return to the heart?

Answer 7

1.) manually = massage in the direction of blood flow
2.) passively = using gravity
3.) consequence of muscle contraction squeezing blood by nearby vein
4.) pressure from blood flow upstream of the area

Question 8

what are varicose veins?

Answer 8

• swollen, twisted veins that lie just under the skin
• caused by weak vein walls and valves

Question 9

what is pulse pressure?

Answer 9

• the difference between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP)

Question 10

what are the 9 different pulse points?

Answer 10

• superficial temporal artery
• facial artery
• common carotid artery
• brachial artery
• radial artery
• femoral artery
• popliteal artery
• posterior tibial artery
• dorsalis pedis artery

Question 11

what is the hepatic portal system?

Answer 11

• a specialized part of the vascular circuit that helps with digestion
• picks up digested nutrients from the stomach and intestines and delivers it to the liver for processing and storage

Question 12

describe the flow of a red blood cell from the heart through blood vessels to the left elbow and back to the heart

Answer 12

The route of a red blood cell traveling from the heart to the left elbow and back to the heart is:

right atrium → right ventricle → pulmonary trunk → pulmonary artery → lung → pulmonary vein → left atrium → left ventricle → aorta → left subclavian artery → left axillary artery → left brachial artery → left brachial vein → left subclavian vein → left brachiocephalic vein → superior vena cava → right atrium