The Cardiovascular System - Blood Vessels Flashcards
What are the three types of blood vessel?
Arteries, capillaries and veins
What do arteries do? (function)
Carry blood AWAY from the heart
What do veins do? (function)
Carry blood back towards the heart
Veins visit the heart
What happens in capillaries?
Diffusion and gas exchange
This takes place in the lungs between the capillaries and the alveoli.
It also takes place in the working muscles between the capillaries and the muscle cells
What does the pulmonary artery do?
Carries blood away from the right hand side of the heart to the lungs to re-oxygenate the blood and remove carbon dioxide
What does the pulmonary vein do?
Carries oxygenated blood back to the left hand side of the heart from the lungs
What does the aorta do?
Carries oxygenated blood away from the left side of the heart to the rest of the body.
What does the vena cava do?
Brings deoxygenated blood back to the right side of the heart
Which vessel takes blood from the right ventricle to the lungs?
The pulmonary artery
What does the pulmonary vein do?
Carries oxygenated blood from the lungs back to the left atrium
Give 2 structural features of arteries
Thick muscular walls
Large lumen
Give 3 structural features of veins
Thin walls, little muscle
Small lumen
Valves to prevent back flow
Identify and explain 2 structural features of capillaries
Very narrow lumen (to allow only one red blood cell to pass at a time)
Very thin walls (one cell thick) to allow easy diffusion
How is blood redistributed during exercise?
Vascular shunt - sending blood to where there is a greater demand
How?
Vasoconstriction - narrowing blood vessels to reduce flow to digestive system
Vasodilation - widening blood vessels to increase blood flow to working muscles
