Arteries/Veins
Which vessels have thicker, more muscular walls? And why?
Arteries, they carry blood at higher pressure, so they require thicker walls with more smooth muscle and elastic tissue than veins.
Which blood vessels have larger lumen
Veins have thinner walls and larger lumens than comparable arteries. Their larger lumen allows blood to return to the heart despite the lower pressure in the venous system.
What is the name of nerves that carry information to the brain and spinal cord?
Sensory nerves/Afferent Nerves
Arteries are typically found...
Deeper, often alongside nerves in a neurovascular bundle
What age range do you have to be in to apply to become a body donor
18 and over
What does the subclavian artery become? (moving in the lateral direction)
The Axillary Artery
What’s the largest artery in the body?
Aorta
What is the difference between cranial nerves and spinal nerves?
Cranial nerves emerge directly from the brain/brainstem whilst spinal nerves emerge from the spinal cord
Which feature is most distinguishing arteries from veins in a cadaver?
Wall thickness and structure
What is the only active body donor program in Victoria?
University of Melbourne Body Donor Program run by the Department of Anatomy and Physiology
Which veins carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart?
Pulmonary veins are exceptions to the general rule that veins carry deoxygenated blood. They deliver oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium.
Why is blood usually drawn from a vein rather than an artery? Name 3 reasons.
- Veins are lower pressure
- Generally easier and safer to access
- Veins have thinner walls (easier to access)
- Veins are less painful to puncture
Arteries carry blood at much higher pressure, so puncturing one creates a greater risk of significant bleeding. Many superficial veins are also easier to see and locate.
How many spinal nerves are there in the human body?
62, there are 31 pairs
A structure appears "floppy" and irregular in cross-section, with a thin wall. What is likely to be?
Vein
Can you be both an organ donor and a body donor?
No, the University requires all organs to be intact
What is the name for inflammation of a blood vessel wall?
Vasculitis
What two mechanisms help return blood from the lower limbs to the heart against gravity?
The skeletal muscle pump and one-way venous valves. Contraction of the leg muscles compresses nearby veins and pushes blood upwards. One-way valves prevent the blood from flowing backwards between contractions.
Are nerve plexuses comprised of anterior or posterior rami and why is this the case?
Nerve plexuses are comprised exclusively of anterior rami.
Anterior rami supply the limbs and the front parts of the body, requiring complex mixing to coordinate large muscle groups, whereas posterior rami supply the back, which does not require complex movements.
When separating a nerve from an adjacent artery in a neurovascular bundle, what type of dissection technique do you use?
Blunt dissection separates along natural fascial planes without cutting through tissue, reducing the risk of severing nerve fibres or vessel walls
What is a possible reason the University will be unable to accept a body?
an autopsy/post-mortem examination has been performed
death is the result of accident or injury
too much time has elapsed before the University is notified of your death
at the time of death, you were suffering from an infectious disease (e.g., HIV, Hepatitis B or C, tuberculosis)
at the time of death organs were removed for organ donation
recent surgery has been performed
donor is clinically obese
death occurs more than 40 km from Melbourne GPO
at the time of death there are operational limitations (e.g., body storage or preparation limitations, building works or planned University shutdowns)
In severe rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation can damage and narrow the walls of small and medium-sized arteries (vasculitis), reducing blood flow and depriving tissues of oxygen. What is this inadequate blood supply called?
Ishcaemia, The resulting reduction in blood supply is called ischaemia and may cause pain, ulcers or tissue damage.
At which two anatomical landmarks does the axillary artery begin and end?
It begins at the lateral border of the first rib, where the subclavian artery becomes the axillary artery. It ends at the inferior border of teres major, where it becomes the brachial artery.
What muscles are innervated by the musculocutaneous nerve?
The biceps brachii, the brachialis, and the coracobrachialis
During dissection, you find a whitish, cord-like structure with a glistening surface running parallel to a vessel. It doesn't collapse when pressed and has a slightly rope-like, fascicular texture when squeezed. Is this most likely a nerve, artery, or vein? Justify with two features.
Nerve. Two supporting features: (1) fascicular, rope-like texture when squeezed, which reflects bundled nerve fascicles rather than a hollow lumen, and (2) it doesn't collapse under pressure the way a thin-walled vein would, but also lacks the firm, open, round lumen of an artery.
What happens upon completion of studies?
Individual cremation, ashes can be collected by family