Vessel Wall Anatomy & Physiology
This layer of a blood vessel consists of endothelium overlying a basement membrane and acts as a selectively permeable barrier.
What is the tunica interna/intima?
What are capillaries?
What is the vessel radius?
These disc-shaped formed elements lose their nuclei and organelles during maturation and function primarily in gas transport.
What are erythrocytes (or RBCs)?
This potent vasoconstricting hormone raises blood pressure while also promoting sodium and water retention by the kidneys.
What is Angiotensin II?
This layer of a blood vessel regulates vessel diameter and strengthens vessels to prevent blood pressure from rupturing them.
What is the tunica media?
This type of capillary is found in organs like the kidneys and small intestine and feature filtration pores spanned by a thin glycoprotein layer for rapid absorption.
What are fenestrated capillaries?
At the arterial end of a capillary, this physical force drives fluid out into the interstital fluid space.
What is blood hydrostatic pressure?
This percentage of whole blood volume composed of red blood cells typically averages around 37-52%.
What is hematocrit / packed cell volume?
Secreted by the heart's atria in response to high blood pressure, this hormone lowers blood pressure by increasing urinary sodium excretion and promoting vasodilation.
What is Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP)?
These small blood vessels located in the tunica externa supply blood to the outer parts of large vessels like the aorta and vena cava?
What are the vasa vasorum?
These extremely porous, irregular capillaries are found in the liver, bone marrow, and spleen and allow proteins and new blood cells to enter circulation.
What are sinusoids/discontinuous capillaries?
At the venous end of a capillary, fluid is drawn back into the capillary due to this osmotic force generated primarily by plasma proteins.
What is colloid osmotic pressure (COP) / oncoctic pressure?
These cell fragments derived from megakaryocytes play a critical role in all three steps of hemostasis.
What are platelets (or thrombocytes)?
Chronic resting blood pressure exceeding 140/90 mm Hg is known by this clinical term and is often called the "Silent Killer."
What is hypertension?
These large arteries expand during ventricular contractions (systole) to take pressure off downstream vessels and recoil during relaxation (diastole).
What are conducting/large/elastic arteries?
This vascular arrangement occurs when blood flows through two consecutive capillary networks before returning to the heart such as between the intestines and the liver.
What is a portal system?
What are arterioles?
Name the three sequential steps of hemostasis in order following a blood vessel injury.
What are..
1) Vascular Spasm
2) Platelet Plug Formation
3) Coagulation (Blood Clotting)?
What are Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs)?
Sensory baroreceptors located in the walls of this artery monitor blood pressure and transmit signals via the glossopharyngeal nerve.
What is the carotid sinus/internal carotid artery?
Smooth muscle rings at the entrance to capillaries that open or close to regulate blood flow through a capillary bed are called these.
What are precapillary sphincters?
This mechanism uses muscle contraction and venous valves to propel low-pressure venous blood back towards the heart against gravity
What is the skeletal muscle pump?
During coagulation, prothrombin activator converts prothrombin into thrombin, which then converts this soluble plasma protein into insoluble fibrin threads.
What is fibrinogen?
Edema caused by liver disease, kidney failure, or extreme protein starvation is due to this specific defect in capillary exchange?
What is reduced capillary reabsorption (or hypoproteinemia / low colloid osmotic pressure)?