Arteries
AWAY
Branch
Typically oxygenated.
Capillaries
Smallest.
Most abundant.
How many?? Why?
Exchange
Veins
TOWARDS
Converge.
Typically deoxygenated.
3 Layers of the Vascular Wall
Tunica interna
Tunica media
Tunica externa.
Tunica Interna/Intima
Lining.
Endothelium.
Supported by loose CT.
Only layer in capillaries.
Tunica Media
Primarily smooth muscle plus elastic fibers. Most prominent layer in arteries.
Tunica Media
Smooth muscle tone Regulated by:
Metabolites
Hormones
Sympathetic vasomotor neurons.
Vasomotor neurons constantly release NE onto TM smooth muscle.
What does the NE do? Why have a constant release?
Increased NE release by a vasomotor neuron causes:
Tunica media smooth muscle tone to: Vessel diameter to: Resistance to blood flow in the vessel to: Blood flow thru the vessel to:
This gentleman has fatty plaques in his lower leg arteries.
How do you think they affect blood flow?
How does that relate to his facial expression?
His doctor recommends that the sympathetic nerves to those arteries be cut.
Why?
Tunica Externa/Adventitia
Primarily collagen
Function?
Most prominent layer in veins
Elastic Arteries
Aorta and major branches.
Act as AUXILIARY PUMPS.
Muscular Arteries
Regional distribution
Significant layer
Arterioles
Smallest.
May or may not have an externa.
Highly innervated by vasomotor neurons.
Arterioles
Regulation of blood pressure and flow.
Easy to change the diameter.
How would you do it?
Why would you want to?
Capillaries
Smallest. Thin walls Billions Function?
Almost everywhere.
Continuous capillaries
Most common and least permeable. No endothelial holes Intercellular clefts. Abundant in
Fenestrated capillaries
Endothelial holes Intercellular clefts Found in
Sinusoidal capillaries.
Most permeable and least common. Big endothelial holes Intercellular clefts. Can have macrophages in their lining. Why? Found in
Why are capillaries organized into beds?
What tissues will have high densities of capillary beds?
What do precapillary sphincters do?
What determines whether the sphincters are open or closed?
Vascular shunt vs. True capillaries
If you were running,
1. Precapillary sphincters in your biceps femoris would
2. Precapillary sphincters in your large intestine would
Veins
All 3 tunics. TE is the largest.
Thin walls
Large lumens. Low resistance High compliance
Veins
Smooth muscle tone prevents too much distention.
Capacitance vessels/Blood reservoirs.
65%
Veins
Low pressure vessels. Contain valves. What do they do? Where are they needed?
Venous Sinuses
Thin-walled veins made of endothelium only.
Blood Flow
Volume per time.
Flow thru systemic circuit = cardiac output.
Flow to individual organs varies.
How is this achieved?
Blood Pressure
Force per unit area exerted on the vessel wall by blood. Millimeters of mercury (mmHg). All vessels
Resistance
Opposition to flow Measure of friction. Peripheral resistance. Direction!
While this guy is running, - the resistance of the arterioles of his quadriceps needs to - the resistance of arterioles in his colon needs to
Sources of Resistance
Blood viscosity.
Total vessel length.
Vessel radius.
Viscosity
Viscosity resistance.
Can you drink one of these with a straw?
What makes it challenging?
What are the major contributors to blood viscosity?
Does viscosity change often in a healthy person?
An increase in plasma EPO will cause resistance to
Total Vessel Length
Length resistance.
Does total vessel length change in a normal person?
Which tube has greater intrinsic resistance?
As total vessel length increases, resistance will
As total vessel length decreases, blood flow will
Vessel Radius
(1/radius4) resistance
Does vessel radius change in a normal healthy person?
Which vessels?
How is the change achieved?
Which tube has the greater intrinsic resistance?
B
What layer of the vessel wall has the greatest effect on vessel resistance? a. Interna b. Media c. Externa
Resistance (length)(viscosity) (radius)4
Which tube has the LEAST resistance?
Which tube has the GREATEST resistance?
FLOW
PRESSURE GRADIENT RESISTANCE
As resistance decreases, flow will
As the pressure gradient increases, flow will
Which does the heart influence more: pressure gradient or resistance?
Blood Pressure
Why do all blood vessels have a BP?
Which vessel do we usually care about?
Where is systemic BP the highest?
Where is systemic BP the lowest?
Arterial Blood Pressure Model
What would happen to AP if the amount of blood pumped into the arteries increased?
Thus, arterial pressure varies directly with
What would happen to AP if the resistance in the arterioles went up? Thus, arterial pressure varies directly with
What would happen to AP if there was more blood in the entire system? Thus, arterial pressure varies directly with
Systolic Blood Pressure
Diastolic Blood Pressure
Pulse
What creates it?
How/Where do you measure it?
Whats its relationship to heart rate?
Pulse Pressure
Change in arterial pressure caused by ventricular systole.
Varies directly with
PP = SBP DBP.
Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP)
Arterial BP fluctuates. Why? MAP is the pressure driving blood flow.
MAP is a weighted average of SBP and DBP.
Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP)
MAP = DBP + SBP MAP = DBP + PP
Capillary Blood Pressure
Low BP. Why is this good? (Think about the structure of a capillary.)
Venous Blood Pressure
Even lower BP. Very small gradient.
What is responsible for venous return?
Remaining force imparted by ventricular systole. Gravity.
Skeletal muscle pump. Respiratory pump.
Venomotor action.
Skeletal Muscle Pump
Respiratory Pump
Deep Inspiration
Thoracic volume will
Pressure in thoracic cavity will
Pressure in thoracic veins will
Blood flow into thoracic veins and towards the heart will
Venomotor Tone
An increase in sympathetic activity causes:
NE release on the TM of medium/large veins to Venous pressure to Venous return to
