Physiology of Circulation Flashcards
Layers of blood vessel wall
Adventitia - connective tissue and nerve fibres
Media - smooth muscle
Intima - Bm, endothelium, connective tissue
Characteristics of aortic wall
Characteristics of vena cava wall
Elastic and fibrous
Smooth muscle and fibrous
As well as delivery of blood what are the functions of the following blood vessels:
Aorta
Arteries
Arterioles
Capillaries
Venules
Veins
Aorta - storage of energy to maintain delivery in diastole and dampening of pulse pressure
Arteries - further dampening
Arterioles - control of pressure and distribution to capillary beds
Capillaries - exchange
Venules - collection
Veins - storage of blood, portal circulations
What is the function of wall thickness in blood vessels
Thick - Tensile strength to allow withstanding of pressure
Thin - exchange in capillaries
Function of elastic component in blood vessel walls
Smoothing of pulsetations and storage of energy to maintain flow in diastole
Function of smooth muscles in blood vessels
Control of vessel diameter
Difference between flow and flow velocity
Flow is volume of blood flowing per unit time (L/min)
Flow velocity is how fast fluid is moving at any given point (cm/s)
How does flow velocity vary over the diameter of a blood vessel in laminar flow
Faster in centre
What equation links flow and flow velocity
Implication to the differing stages of blood vessels (arteries, Arterioles capillaries etc)
Q=vA
Flow = velocity x area
As area enlarges and flow remains constant velocity falls
Flow velocity in aorta compared to capillaries, cross sectional area of both
Aorta 120cm/s. 4.5cm2
Capillaries 0-1cm/s. 4500cm2
Issue with turbulent flow and blood vessel constriction
High flow velocity and turbulent flow produce shear forces that can pull endothelium away from vessel wall and dislodge plaques causing thrombi and emboli
How can ohms law be analogous to cardiac function
V = I x R
MAP-CVP = CO x SVR
What are the sources of energy that drive blood flow?
Cardiac contraction
Elastic recoil of great vessels
Skeletal muscle contraction
Negative interthoracic pressure
Forces opposing blood flow through vessels
Friction (between fluid and vessel walls and between fluid layers), determined by vessel size and viscosity
Conversion of pump work into stored energy (eg into elasticity of deistended vessel walls or by gravity - depends of the pulsetyle nature of circulation
What law governs blood flow through a single vessel
Hagen poiseuille
Q = Pi(🔼P)r^4 / 8nL
Flow = Pi (pressure gradient) radius to power 4 / 8 viscosity length
Why does reality differ from Hagen poiseuille law
Blood vessels are not uniform in cross section
Blood vessel walls are elastic
Pressure gradients are not constant but pulsatilla
Blood behaves differently from Newtonian fluid because of the cellular component so viscosity is not the sole determinant of flow properties.
How does blood differ in viscosity from a Newtonian fluid
Cells - as haematocrit increases apparent viscosity increases more
Blood vessel diameter - as diameter falls apparent viscoicty of blood decreases as the cells stream in the centre of the vessel effectively reducing the hct
Flow velocity - apparent viscosity decreases at higher flow speeds due to less cell adherence to each other and vessel walls
Functions of the arterial system
Deliver blood to capillary beds
Convert high pressure pulsatilla blood flow into low pressure steady flow
What is the term for the effect of the arterial system on flow (converting from high pressure pulsetyle to low pressure constant
Hydraulic filtering or windkessel
Normal values for stroke volume and flow velocity
Peak velocity
Stroke volume 70-90ml
Flow velocity 70cm/s
Peak velocity 120cm/s
How do systolic pressures change through the arterial system
Why?
120 in aorta
increase in the initial arteries Distally (up to 40 higher in feet) but then decrease into the arteriolar to around 30 ready to enter capillaries
Initial increase due to propagation of pressure wave from reflection and resonance.
What is compliance of the arterial system
Change in arterial blood volume produced by unit change of arterial blood pressure
Do stiff arteries have high or low compliance
Low
How does arterial compliance change with age
Falls
Also compliance curve moves from linear relationship to curve (as pressure increases it has less effect on volume)