Mutafova Arteries & Veins Flashcards
What are the 3 main functions of arteries?
conduit, hydraulic filters, storage of blood
What are the 3 main functions of veins?
conduits, major reservoir of blood, regulator of cardiac output
What does it mean for an artery to be a conduit?
They move blood from the heart to circulation.
What does it mean for an artery to be a hydraulic filter?
Prevent pulsatile pressure from large arteries from going into the capillaries b/c of the elastic fibers etc that make up arteries.
How do arteries act as a storage of blood?
During systole, the arteries are distensible. Can store some blood.
What is the relationship b/w the distensibility of the arteries & the cardiac cycle?
During systole…blood goes to the capillaries & the arteries are distensible, storing some blood.
During diastole…blood continues to go to the capillaries b/c the arteries recoil.
How is it possible that the veins regulate cardiac output?
Because venous return affects cardiac output & the veins are a huge reservoir of blood.
What tissues are found in the tunic media of blood vessels? What about the tunic adventitia?
media: smooth muscle, collagen, elastin
adventitia: collagen, fibroblasts, vasa vasorum, nerves
Where is the autonomic nervous control found in terms of the layers of the blood vessels?
Tunica Adventitia. The place for innervation of the blood vessels. Gap jcns relay this message thru the smooth muscle cells.
NT diffuses thru gap jcns of smooth muscle cells to get to the endothelial cells for the NO mechanism.
Veins have a larger cross sectional area than arteries…what does this mean for velocity?
Larger Cross sectional area means lower velocity…this sorta relates to the storage of blood in veins.
What are the approx pressure in large veins? And in the RA?
RA 0 mmHg
Large Veins 4-7 mmHg
Where does the resistance in the veins come from?
Not from the blood vessel itself (large diameter in large veins).
Resistance for veins comes from compression by the surrounding tissues.
What is compliance?
The same as capacitance.
The amount of blood that can be stored in a given portion of veins/arteries given a certain rise in pressure.
C=dV/dP
Compliance=Increase in Volume that it can hold/Increase in pressure
Which is distensible, compliant, capacitant?
Arteries, veins?
Arteries have high distensibility (not as high as veins). Low capacitance & compliance. (same thing)
Veins have highest distensibility & high capacitance= compliance.
What is distensibility?
NOT the same as compliance.
Compliance=Distensibility X Volume (initial)
D=C/V
So like arteries are distensible b/c that is what allows them to handle the pulsatile flow.
Veins are the most distensible, tho, which is why an increase in pressure, causes a significant increase in storage of blood.
What is the idea of delayed compliance? How does this concept relate to a large transfusion or hemorrhage?
If you inject a ton of extra blood…the pressure on the venous wall will increase. Then b/c of their compliance they will increase their diameter & the pressure on their venous walls will decrease. This is delayed compliance.
If you lose a ton of blood…the pressure on the venous wall will greatly decrease immediately. Then b/c of their compliance they will decrease their diameter & the pressure on their venous walls will increase. This is also the concept of delayed compliance.
Why is the distensibility of the veins so important for consistent capillary blood flow?
With arteries will normal distensibility…
During systole there is blood flow to the capillaries AND there is storage of blood (b/c of dilation of the aorta) in the large arteries.
During diastole the arteries recoil & this blood flows to the capillaries.
Clearly this flow is consistent.
With arthersclerosis or rigidity of blood vessels w/ age…this recoil & initial distensibility are not present. Therefore, capillaries only receive blood flow during systole, not during diastole. This blood flow to capillaries is discontinuous.
When you age…what happens to your aorta?
How does this relate to pulsatile flow?
Your aorta becomes more rigid.
It is less compliant. Less distensible.
The diameter of your aorta changes less in response to the pulsatile flow as you age.
Is the innervation of blood vessels provided by the parasympathetic system or the sympathetic system?
Sympathetic system.
Review: what is tyrosine hydroxylase?
It is the enzyme used in nerve terminals for the synthesis of NT…particularly NE. It is found in the tunic adventitia of blood vessels b/c this is where the neural innervation is.
What part of the vasculature is innervated by the sympathetic system?
ALL of it except for the capillaries.
Which vessels are more responsive to sympathetic nerve stimulation–arteries or veins?
Veins. Surprisingly.
They have more innervation, more NT released, more of a contractile response.
Overall: they are more responsive in times of hyperactivity of the symp system like hemorrhage, exercise etc.
This is super duper important b/c you need to increase venous return to increase cardiac output in these stressful times.
According to Nolan…venoconstriction: CO increases
Vasoconstriction: more about distribution of blood flow.
What does sympathetic stimulation do to the pressure of the vasculature at each volume?
It increases the pressure.
What is the central venous pool?
It is in b/w the venous return & cardiac output.
It is composed of the great veins in the thorax & the RA.