Lecture 5: Study Guide For Quiz Flashcards
What tissues make up the wall of an artery?
- Endothelium
- Elastic tissue (greater in artery than vein)
- Smooth muscle (greater in artery than vein)
- Fibrous tissue
What are the 3 different tissue layers in the wall of an artery?
- Intima
- Media
- Adventitia
Intima =
Innermost layer
Media =
Middle layer
Adventitia =
Outermost layer
What tissues make up the wall of an arteriole?
Endothelium and smooth muscle only
What tissues make up the wall of a vein?
- Endothelium
- Elastic tissue (less than artery)
- Smooth muscle (less than artery)
- Fibrous tissue
What is the primary function of the arterial system?
Distribute blood to the major organs
What part of the vascular system regulates the flow of blood to the various capillary beds?
Arterioles
Where is the lowest pressure in the vascular system as blood travels from the aorta back to the right atrium?
Vena cava
What is pulse pressure?
The difference between systolic and diastolic pressure
What formula can be used to estimate mean arterial pressure?
MAP = (2 x diastolic + systolic) / 3
What are some of the changes in the arterial waveform as blood travels distally to the extremities?
- High-frequency components of the pulse, such as the incisura, are damped out and soon disappear
- The systolic portions of the pressure wave become narrowed and elevated
- A hump may appear on the diastolic portion of the pressure wave
In a healthy individual, would you expect a higher or lower systolic blood pressure reading in the foot as compared to the aorta?
Higher
How does the arterial system convert pulsatile blood flow to continuous blood flow at the level of the capillaries? What is the advantage of continuous blood flow at the capillary level?
- Hydraulic filter—the arterial system is composed of elastic conduits (aorta and arteries) and high-resistance terminals (arterioles)
- Hydraulic filtering converts the intermittent output of the heart to a steady flow in the capillaries
- This minimizes the workload of the heart (more work is required to pump a given flow intermittently as compared to steadily
Does the heart have to work harder to pump blood through rigid vessels?
Yes