Unit 10: Blood Vessels/ Blood Pressure Flashcards
What is the equation for Flow Rate?
Pressure/ Resistance
What is the relationship between resistance and flow rate?
An increase in resistance leads to a decrease in flow rate
Starting from the right atrium, name the structures that carry blood to organs.
Artery, arteriole and capillaries, which rejoin to form venules, and then veins which lead back up to the heart.
What structures make up microcirculation?
Arterioles, capillaries and venules
What 2 fibers make up arteries?
Elastin and Collagen
What are the 2 main functions of arteries?
- Act as rapid-transit pathways
- Act as a pressure reserve to provide a driving force for the blood when the heart is relaxing
What is Blood Pressure?
-The force exerted by the blood against a vessel wall, which is dependent on the volume of blood within the vessel and it’s compliance (how much it can stretch)
What is the systolic pressure?
The pressure exerted on the arteries when blood is ejected into them during systole, averaging 120 mmHg.
What is the diastolic pressure?
The minimum pressure within the arteries when blood is draining off into the rest of the vessels during diastole, averaging 80 mmHg.
What is a Sphygmomanometer?
Measures changes in arterial pressure throughout the cardiac cycle using this pressure measuring device.
What is the Pulse Pressure?
-The difference between the Systolic and Diastolic pressures
What is Mean Arterial Pressure?
- Diastolic Pressure + (1/3 the pulse pressure)
* Average pressure forcing blood into the tissues
Properties of Arterioles?
- ->MAJOR RESISTANCE VESSELS
- Have a pressure of 37mmHg
- Lower pressure of the arterioles compared to the heart open valves and encourages the flow of blood into the organs and tissues.
- Arteriole walls contain very little elastic tissue, but are highly innervated with smooth muscle tissue.
How does smooth muscle innervate arterioles?
When the arteriole contracts, the circumference of the arteriole decreases, which increases the resistance of the vessel and decreases blood flow- called vasoconstriction.
What is Vasodilation?
-Refers to the enlargement in the circumference and radius of a vessel as smooth muscle relaxes.
What is Vascular tone?
-Arterioles are generally in a state of minor-vasoconstriction, which establishes a baseline of arteriole resistance.
What is the relationship between Arteriolar radius and Blood Flow?
The greater the radius, the greater the blood flow as their is less resistance.
What is active Hyperemia?
- Local arteriolar vasodilation
* Increases blood flow*
How do endothelial cells participate as vasoactive mediators?
-Release chemical mediators that play a key role in locally regulating arteriole calibre.
What is Nitric Oxide’s (NO) effect on blood vessels?
- Causes local arteriolar VASODILATION as it induces relaxation of the smooth muscle around arterioles.
- Inhibits Ca2+ that causes contractions
What is endothelian’s impact on blood vessels?
Causes vasoconstriction
What is Histamine’s release on blood vessels?
Causes Vasodilation
-is released when tissue or organs are damaged, and promotes vasodilation, aka an increase in blood flow to these tissues
What is the effect of heat on blood vessels?
Vasodilation
What is the effect of cold on blood vessels?
Vasoconstriction
What is the blood vessel response to shear stress?
Make endothelial cells release NO, which in turn leads to vasodilation in blood vessels
*Increase is arteriolar diameter= decrease in sheer stress
What is a myogenic response?
-A response generated by the muscles
What is the blood vessel response to an increase in stretching, and well as a reduction in stretching?
Vasoconstriction, and vasodilation
Once a blockage is removed, why does blood flow to the area that was previously most deprived?
The arteriolar walls are widely dilated due to reactive hyperemia, so blood flows easiest to these areas first.
What is Autoregulation?
-Local arteriolar mechanisms that keep tissue blood flow fairly constant despite wide deviations in blood pressure.
What are the two main extrinsic controls affecting arteriolar radius?
- Neural/ hormone influences
* Mainly the sympathetic nervous system
Increased sympathetic activity= ___________
Vasoconstriction
Decreased sympathetic activity = ____________
Vasodilation
What is total peripheral resistance?
The total resistance offered by all systemic peripheral vessels together
What is the relationship between MAP, CO and TPR?
Mean arterial pressure= cardiac output x total peripheral resistance
What is Norepinepherine’s effect on blood vessels?
- Released by sympathetic nerve fibers
- Binds alpha 1 adrenergic receptors on arteriolar smooth muscle
- ->Produces vasoconstriction