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