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The Cardiovascular System: Blood Vessels: Part A

19. The Cardiovascular System: Blood Vessels: Part A. Blood Flow. The purpose of cardiovascular regulation is to maintain adequate blood flow through the capillaries to the tissues Actual volume of blood flowing through a vessel, an organ, or the entire circulation in a given period:

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The Cardiovascular System: Blood Vessels: Part A

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  1. 19 The Cardiovascular System: Blood Vessels: Part A

  2. Blood Flow • The purpose of cardiovascular regulation is to maintain adequate blood flow through the capillaries to the tissues • Actual volume of blood flowing through a vessel, an organ, or the entire circulation in a given period: • Is measured in ml/min. • Is equivalent to cardiac output (CO), considering the entire vascular system • Is relatively constant when at rest • Varies widely through individual organs

  3. The distribution of blood • The blood volume is unevenly distributed among arteries, veins and capillaries • The heart, arteries and capillaries contain about 30-35% • The venous system contains the rest – 65-70% • About 1/3 of the venous blood is circulating in the liver, bone marrow and skin

  4. Blood flow • Capillary blood flow is determined by the interplay between: • Pressure • Resistance • For the blood to keep flowing the heart must generate sufficient pressure to overcome resistance

  5. Physiology of Circulation: Blood Pressure (BP) • Force per unit area exerted on the wall of a blood vessel by its contained blood • Expressed in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) • Measured in reference to systemic arterial BP in large arteries near the heart • The differences in BP within the vascular system provide the driving force that keeps blood moving from higher to lower pressure areas

  6. Physiology of Circulation: Resistance • Opposition to flow • Measure of the amount of friction blood encounters • Generally encountered in the peripheral systemic circulation • Because the resistance of the venous system is very low (why?) usually the focus is on the resistance of the arterial system: • Peripheral resistance (PR) is the resistance of the arterial system

  7. Physiology of Circulation: Resistance • Three important sources of resistance • Blood viscosity • Total blood vessel length • Blood vessel diameter

  8. Resistance – constant factors • Blood viscosity • The “stickiness” of the blood due to formed elements and plasma proteins • Blood vessel length • The longer the vessel, the greater the resistance encountered

  9. Resistance – frequently changed factors • Changes in vessel diameter are frequent and significantly alter peripheral resistance • Small-diameter arterioles are the major determinants of peripheral resistance • Frequent changes alter peripheral resistance • Varies inversely with the fourth power of vessel radius • Fatty plaques from atherosclerosis: • Cause turbulent blood flow • Dramatically increase resistance due to turbulence

  10. Relationship Between Blood Flow, Blood Pressure, and Resistance • Blood flow (F) is directly proportional to the blood (hydrostatic) pressure gradient (P) • If P increases, blood flow speeds up • Blood flow is inversely proportional to peripheral resistance (R) • If R increases, blood flow decreases: F = P/R • R is more important in influencing local blood flow because it is easily changed by altering blood vessel diameter

  11. Systemic Blood Pressure • The pumping action of the heart generates blood flow through the vessels along a pressure gradient, always moving from higher- to lower-pressure areas • Pressure results when flow is opposed by resistance • Systemic pressure: • Is highest in the aorta • Declines throughout the length of the pathway • Is ~0 mm Hg in the right atrium • The steepest change in blood pressure occurs between arteries to arterioles

  12. Arterial Blood Pressure • Arterial pressure is important because it maintains blood flow through capillaries • Blood pressure near the heart is pulsatile • Systolic pressure: pressure exerted during ventricular contraction • Diastolic pressure: lowest level of arterial pressure • A pulse is rhythmic pressure oscillation that accompanies every heartbeat • Pulse pressure = difference between systolic and diastolic pressure

  13. Arterial Blood Pressure • Mean arterial pressure (MAP): pressure that propels the blood to the tissues MAP = diastolic pressure + 1/3 pulse pressure • Pulse pressure and MAP both decline with increasing distance from the heart

  14. Capillary Blood Pressure • Ranges from 15 to 35 mm Hg • Low capillary pressure is desirable • High BP would rupture fragile, thin-walled capillaries • Low BP is sufficient to force filtrate out into interstitial space and distribute nutrients, gases, and hormones between blood and tissues

  15. Venous Blood Pressure • Changes little during the cardiac cycle • Small pressure gradient, about 15 mm Hg

  16. Factors Aiding Venous Return • Venous BP alone is too low to promote adequate blood return and is aided by the: • Respiratory “pump” – pressure changes created during breathing suck blood toward the heart by squeezing local veins • Muscular “pump” – contraction of skeletal muscles “milk” blood toward the heart • Valves prevent backflow during venous return

  17. Monitoring Circulatory Efficiency • Efficiency of the circulation can be assessed by taking pulse and blood pressure measurements • Vital signs – pulse and blood pressure, along with respiratory rate and body temperature • Pulse – pressure wave caused by the expansion and recoil of elastic arteries

  18. Measuring Blood Pressure • Systemic arterial BP is measured indirectly with the auscultatory method • A sphygmomanometer is placed on the arm superior to the elbow • Pressure is increased in the cuff until it is greater than systolic pressure in the brachial artery • Pressure is released slowly and the examiner listens with a stethoscope • The first sound heard is recorded as the systolic pressure • The pressure when sound disappears is recorded as the diastolic pressure

  19. Alterations in Blood Pressure • Hypotension – low BP in which systolic pressure is below 100 mm Hg • Hypertension – condition of sustained elevated arterial pressure of 140/90 or higher • Transient elevations are normal and can be caused by fever, physical exertion, and emotional upset • Chronic elevation is a major cause of heart failure, vascular disease, renal failure, and stroke

  20. Maintaining Blood Pressure • Requires • Cooperation of the heart, blood vessels, and kidneys • Supervision by the brain • The main factors influencing blood pressure: • Cardiac output (CO) • Peripheral resistance (PR) • Blood volume Blood pressure = CO x PR • Blood pressure varies directly with CO, PR, and blood volume • Changes in one variable are quickly compensated for by changes in the other variables

  21. Controls of Blood Pressure • Short-term controls: • Are mediated by the nervous system and bloodborne chemicals • Counteract moment-to-moment fluctuations in blood pressure by altering peripheral resistance • Long-term controls regulate blood volume

  22. Short-Term Mechanisms: Neural Controls • Neural controls of peripheral resistance: • Alter blood distribution in response to demands • Maintain MAP by altering blood vessel diameter • Neural controls operate via reflex arcs involving: • Vasomotor centers and vasomotor fibers • Baroreceptors • Vascular smooth muscle

  23. Short-Term Mechanisms: Vasomotor Center • Vasomotor center – a cluster of sympathetic neurons in the medulla that oversees changes in blood vessel diameter • Maintains blood vessel tone by innervating smooth muscles of blood vessels, especially arterioles • Vasomotor activity is modified by: • Baroreceptors (pressure-sensitive) • chemoreceptors (O2, CO2, and H+ sensitive) • bloodborne chemicals • hormones

  24. Short-Term Mechanisms: Baroreceptor-Initiated Reflexes • Baroreceptors are located in • Carotid sinuses • Aortic arch • Walls of large arteries of the neck and thorax http://archive.student.bmj.com/back_issues/0599/graphics/0599ed2_1.gif

  25. Short-Term Mechanisms: Baroreceptor-Initiated Reflexes • Increased blood pressure stimulates the cardioinhibitory center to: • Increase vessel diameter • Decrease heart rate, cardiac output, peripheral resistance, and blood pressure • Declining blood pressure stimulates the cardioacceleratory center to: • Increase cardiac output and peripheral resistance • Low blood pressure also stimulates the vasomotor center to constrict blood vessels

  26. Short-Term Mechanisms: Chemoreceptor-Initiated Reflexes • Chemoreceptors are located in the • Carotid sinus • Aortic arch • Large arteries of the neck • Chemoreceptors respond to rise in CO2, drop in pH or O2 • Increase blood pressure via the vasomotor center and the cardioacceleratory center

  27. Chemicals that Increase Blood Pressure • Adrenal medulla hormones – norepinephrine and epinephrine increase blood pressure • Antidiuretic hormone (ADH) – causes intense vasoconstriction in cases of extremely low BP • Angiotensin II – kidney release of renin generates angiotensin II, which causes vasoconstriction • Endothelium-derived factors – endothelin and prostaglandin-derived growth factor (PDGF) are both vasoconstrictors

  28. Chemicals that Decrease Blood Pressure • Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) – causes blood volume and pressure to decline • Nitric oxide (NO) – is a brief but potent vasodilator • Inflammatory chemicals – histamine, prostacyclin, and kinins are potent vasodilators • Alcohol – causes BP to drop by inhibiting ADH

  29. Long-Term Mechanisms: Renal Regulation • Long-term mechanisms control BP by altering blood volume • Increased BP stimulates the kidneys to eliminate water, thus reducing BP • Decreased BP stimulates the kidneys to increase blood volume and BP • Kidneys act directly and indirectly to maintain long-term blood pressure • Direct renal mechanism alters blood volume (changes in urine volume) • Indirect renal mechanism involves the renin-angiotensin mechanism

  30. Indirect Mechanism: renin-angiotensin • The renin-angiotensin mechanism •  Arterial blood pressure  release of renin • Renin production of angiotensin II • Angiotensin II is a potent vasoconstrictor • Angiotensin II aldosterone secretion • Aldosterone  renal reabsorption of Na+ and  urine formation • Angiotensin II stimulates ADH release

  31. Blood Flow Through Tissues • Blood flow, or tissue perfusion, is involved in: • Delivery of oxygen and nutrients to, and removal of wastes from, tissue cells • Gas exchange in the lungs • Absorption of nutrients from the digestive tract • Urine formation by the kidneys • Blood flow is precisely the right amount to provide proper tissue function

  32. Velocity of Blood Flow • Changes as it travels through the systemic circulation • Is inversely related to the total cross-sectional area • Is fastest in the aorta, slowest in the capillaries, increases again in veins • Slow capillary flow allows adequate time for exchange between blood and tissues

  33. Autoregulation of blood flow within tissues • Autoregulation – automatic adjustment of blood flow to each tissue in proportion to its requirements at any given point in time • Local vasodilators accelerate blood flow in response to: • Decreased tissue O2 levels or increased CO2 levels • Generation of lactic acid • Rising K+ or H+ concentrations in interstitial fluid • Local inflammation • Elevated temperature • Vasoconstrictors: • Injured vessels constrict strongly (why?) • Drop in tissue temperature (why?)

  34. Myogenic (myo =muscle; gen=origin) Controls • Inadequate blood perfusion (tissue might die) or excessively high arterial pressure (rupture of vessels) may interfere with the function of the tissue • Vascular smooth muscle can prevent these problems by responding directly to passive stretch (increased intravascular pressure) • The muscle response is by resist to the stretch and that results in vasoconstriction • The opposite happens when there is a reduced stretch • The myogenic mechanisms keeps the tissue perforation relatively constant.

  35. Homeostatic Adjustments that Compensate for a Reduction in Blood Pressure and Blood Flow - autoregulation Figure 21.14

  36. Long-Term Autoregulation • Angiogenesis • Occurs when short-term autoregulation cannot meet tissue nutrient requirements • The number of vessels to a region increases and existing vessels enlarge

  37. Circulatory Shock • Circulatory shock – any condition in which blood vessels are inadequately filled and blood cannot circulate normally • Results in inadequate blood flow to meet tissue needs • Three types include: • Hypovolemic shock – results from large-scale blood loss or dehydration • Vascular shock – normal blood volume but too much accumulate in the limbs (long period of standing/sitting) • Cardiogenic shock – the heart cannot sustain adequate circulation

  38. Capillary Exchange of Respiratory Gases and Nutrients • Diffusion of • O2 and nutrients from the blood to tissues • CO2 and metabolic wastes from tissues to the blood • Lipid-soluble molecules diffuse directly through endothelial membranes • Water-soluble solutes pass through clefts and fenestrations • Larger molecules, such as proteins, are actively transported

  39. Hydrostatic Pressures • Capillary hydrostatic pressure (HPc) (capillary blood pressure) • Tends to force fluids through the capillary walls • Is greater at the arterial end (35 mm Hg) of a bed than at the venule end (17 mm Hg) • Interstitial fluid hydrostatic pressure (HPif) • Usually assumed to be zero because of lymphatic vessels

  40. Colloid Osmotic Pressures • Capillary colloid osmotic pressure (oncotic pressure) (OPc) • Created by non-diffusible plasma proteins, which draw water toward themselves • ~26 mm Hg • Interstitial fluid osmotic pressure (OPif) • Low (~1 mm Hg) due to low protein content

  41. Net Filtration Pressure (NFP) • NFP—comprises all the forces acting on a capillary bed • NFP = (HPc—HPif)—(OPc—OPif) • At the arterial end of a bed, hydrostatic forces dominate • At the venous end, osmotic forces dominate • Excess fluid is returned to the blood via the lymphatic system

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