Professional Documents
Culture Documents
smaller arteries. The pulmonary trunk is the large artery which the right ventricle pumps
into. It splits into pulmonary arteries which take the blood to the lungs. The pulmonary
veins take blood from the lungs to the left atrium. All the other veins in our body drain
into the inferior vena cava (IVC) or the superior vena cava (SVC). These two large veins
then take the blood from the rest of the body into the right atrium.
Valves
Valves are fibrous flaps of tissue found between the heart chambers and in the blood
vessels. They are rather like gates which prevent blood from flowing in the wrong
direction. They are found in a number of places. Valves between the atria and ventricles
are known as the right and left atrioventricular valves, otherwise known as the tricuspid
and mitral valves respectively. Valves between the ventricles and the great arteries are
known as the semilunar valves. The aortic valve is found at the base of the aorta, while the
pulmonary valve is found the base of the pulmonary trunk. There are also many valves
found in veins throughout the body. However, there are no valves found in any of the
other arteries besides the aorta and pulmonary trunk.
phase to allow the blood to flow into the aorta and pulmonary trunk. Following this
phase, the ventricles relax that is ventricular diastole occurs. The semilunar valves
close to stop the blood from flowing back into the ventricles from the aorta and
pulmonary trunk. The atria and ventricles once again are in diastole together and the
cycle begins again.
Our heart rate slows down because the time between heartbeats increases as
we age. This is one of the main reasons why the heart is unable to pump out
more blood during exercise when we become old.
The amount of blood the heart pumps each minute can change as we age. It
decreases slightly in older women. However, it does not change in healthy older
men who have no heart disease. The reason for the difference between the
sexes is not fully understood.
As we age, our blood pressure falls much more on standing from the sitting
position compared to when we are younger. This phenomenon is known as
postural hypotension. This explains why elderly people are more likely to feel
dizzy or to fall when they stand up quickly from a resting position
Reference
1.
Beers, M. (editor-in-chief) "Aging and the Cardiovascular System"[online], The Merck Manual of
Geriatrics. Merck & Co. Inc. 2006. Available at URL: http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmg/search.jsp
(last accessed: 30/6/06)
2.
Guyton, A and Hall, J. (editors) Textbook of medical physiology. Philadelphia, W. B. Saunders, 2000.
3.
4.
Saladin, K. Anatomy & physiology: the unity of form and function. Boston, McGraw-Hill, 2001.
5. Talley, N and O'Connor, S. Clinical examination: a guide to physical diagnosis. Sydney, MacLennan &
Petty, 2001.
Joint Pain
Ailments Related To Joint Pain
By Jarrett Kruse
Joint pain is a catchall phrase that refers to pain in any joint in the body. Because
the term is general, there are many possible causes, but arthritis is the most
common of the causes of joint pain. Arthritis pain can strike any joint in the body,
but the ones we use most, like the hips and hands, are particularly vulnerable.
Arthritis back pain may be referred to another part of the body as well. Arthritis in
the spine may cause left or right back pain and can be confused with muscle pain.
People who have chronic pain in the joints have a number of treatment options,
including joint replacement surger
Although arthritis is the most common cause of joint pain, there are others,
including Osteoporosis, Bursitis, Tendonitis, Lyme disease, and advanced bone
cancer. To get proper treatment, its important to get am exact diagnosis in
consultation with your doctor or preferred health care provider. Among the causes
and treatments for joint pain are: