Lecture notes from Imperial College London, Medical Biosciences BSc, 2nd year, cardiovascular and thoracic biology (CTB) module.
Lecture 4 on the regulation of blood pressure and flow:
- Explain the basic physical principles governing flow and pressure in the circulation.
- Describe how vas...
Blood pressure & Flow
Properties of blood vessels
- compliance = ability of an organ to distend in response to applied pressure (like a balloon)
- resistance = ability to oppose a change (ex: vascular resistance = vessel oppose change of flow)
- capacitance = storing blood volume = reservoir of blood
Pressure throughout the circulation
~ atmospheric pressure
- aorta: highest pressure // vena cava: lowest pressure
- mean aortic pressure = 90 mmHg
- mean capillary pressure = 25-30 mmHg
- pressure falls (= resistance) due to viscous pressure losses
=> large fall in small arteries frictional
- systolic = max pressure // diastolic = min pressure
- pulse pressure (oscillation magnitude) damped in arterioles
- pulmonary: lower pressures than systemic
Why does blood flow ?
- Stephen Hales (18th) measured blood pressure by inserting fine tubes into arteries
=> measure height to which the column of blood rose
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