Unit 4: Blood Vessels and Circulation
Unit Outline
Part 1: Structure and function of blood vessels
Part 3: Blood flow, blood pressure, and resistance
- Components of arterial blood pressure
- Pulse
- Variables affecting blood flow and blood pressure
- Venous system
Part 4: Hemostatic Regulation of the Vascular System
- Neural regulation
- The cardiovascular centres in the brain
- Baroreceptor reflexes
- Endocrine regulation
- Autoregulation of perfusion
- Pulmonary circulation
- Overview of systemic arteries
- The aorta
- Coronary circulation
- Aortic arch branches
- Thoracic aorta and major branches
- Abdominal aorta and major branches
- Arteries serving the upper and lower limbs
- Overview of systemic veins
- The superior and inferior vena cavae
- Veins draining the lower limbs
Practice Questions
Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:
I. Describe relationships between the following components of the cardiovascular system and explain their functions: blood, artery, vein, capillary, atria, and ventricles.
II. Compare the structure and function of arteries, veins, and capillaries.
III. Describe what is meant by blood pressure and specify the following: five factors which affect blood pressure, the major mechanisms that control blood pressure, and the average blood pressure of a young adult.
IV. Describe what is felt when a pulse is located, and specify four points where an arterial pulse may be felt.
V. Describe the following components of the cardiovascular system: the main arteries leaving the heart, and those serving the trunk, appendages, and heart; the main veins entering the heart, and those draining the trunk, appendages, and heart.
Learning Objectives and Guiding Questions
At the end of this unit, you should be able to complete all the following tasks, including answering the guiding questions associated with each task.
I. Describe relationships between the following components of the cardiovascular system and explain their functions: blood, artery, vein, capillary, atria, and ventricles.
II. Compare the structure and function of arteries, veins, and capillaries.
- In general, which arteries and veins carry oxygenated and deoxygenated blood?
- Define: artery, arteriole, vein, venule, capillary.
- Compare and contrast the structure of the walls of arteries, veins, and capillaries.
III. Describe what is meant by blood pressure and specify the following: five factors which affect blood pressure, the major mechanisms that control blood pressure, and the average blood pressure of a young adult.
- Define the term “blood pressure”.
- Describe how blood pressure is measured.
- Define cardiac output and describe how each of the following physiological factors affect blood pressure:
- Heart rate
- Contractility (strength of contraction) of the heart
- Blood volume
- Peripheral resistance
- Blood viscosity
- How does maintaining blood pressure contribute to homeostasis.
- Describe how blood pressure is regulated by:
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