Cardiovascular System

(Blood Vessels and

Circulation)
Roger Joseph II R. Jecino, R.N., M.D.
Circulatory system comprises two
sets of blood vessels:
• Pulmonary Vessels
• transport blood from the right ventricle, through the lungs, and back to the
left atrium.
• Systemic Vessels
• transport blood through all parts of the body from the left ventricle and back
to the right atrium
Functions of the Circulatory
System
• Carries blood
• Exchanges nutrients, waste products, and gases with tissues
• Transports substances
• Helps regulate blood pressure
• Directs blood flow to tissues
Three main types of blood vessels:
Capillaries
• Most common blood vessel type
• 7 μm to 9 μm in diameter, branch without changing in diameter
• Site of most exchanges that occurs between the blood and interstitial
spaces.
• Most common blood vessel type
• Blood flows through capillaries slowly
• Consists primarily of endothelial cells which rest on a basement
membrane.
Types of Capillaries
• Continuous capillaries
• Approximately 7–9 μm in diameter, no gaps between the endothelial cells. Less permeable to large molecules.
• Exist in muscle and nervous tissue
• Fenestrated capillaries
• Endothelial cells have numerous fenestrae, capillaries are highly permeable.
• Intestinal villi, ciliary processes of the eyes, choroid plexuses of the central nervous system, and glomeruli of the kidneys
• Sinusoidal capillaries
• larger in diameter than either continuous or fenestrated capillaries, basement membrane is less prominent, fenestrae are
larger than those in fenestrated capillaries, gaps can exist between endothelial cells.
• E.g. endocrine glands
• Sinusoids
• Large-diameter sinusoidal capillaries, basement membrane is sparse and often missing, large molecules and sometimes
cells can move readily across.
• common in the liver and bone marrow
• Venous sinuses
• similar in structure to the sinusoidal capillaries but even larger in diameter
• exist primarily in the spleen
Capillary Network
• Metarterioles
• Blood flows from arteriole to thoroughfare channel
• Thoroughfare channel
• A vessel that extends in a relatively direct fashion from a metarteriole to a venule
• Precapillary sphincters
• Regulates blood flow within the caplillaries
• Arterial capillaries
• Ends of capillaries closest to the arterioles
• Venous capillaries
• Ends of capillaries closest to the venules
Structure of Arteries and Veins:
• Arteries
• Carry blood away from the heart
• The ventricles pump blood from the heart into large, elastic arteries that
branch repeatedly to form many progressively smaller arteries
• Veins
• Vessels that carry blood toward the heart
• Blood from the capillaries flow toward the heart
General
Features:
• Blood vessel walls consist of
three relatively distinct layers:
• (1) the tunica intima
• (2) the tunica media,
• (3) the tunica adventitia, or tunica
externa
 Tunica Intima:
• First blood vessel wall layer
• Consists of:
• Endothelium
• Basement membrane
• Lamina Propria – thin layer of
connective tissue
• Internal elastic membrane –
fenestrated, separates tunica
intima to the tunica media
Tunica Media:
• The middle layer
• Consists of
• Smooth muscle cells –
arranged circularly around
the blood vessel,
contraction regulates the
amount of blood flow
(vasoconstriction/vasodilati
on)
• External elastic membrane
– separates the tunica
media to tunica adventitia,
Tunica Adventitia:
• Composed of connective tissue
• Dense connective tissue
near the tunica media
• Loose connective tissue
near the surrounding
Types of Arteries: (Elastic,
Muscular, Arterioles)
• Elastic Arteries
• Artery with the largest diameter
• Often called the conducting arteries
• Greater amount of elastic tissue and a smaller amount of smooth muscle in
their walls.
• Tunica intima is relatively thick
• Tunica adventitia is relatively thin
• Muscular Arteries
• Include medium size and small arteries
• Thick tunica media, contains 25–40 layers of smooth muscle
• Frequently called distributing arteries
• Smooth muscle cells allow them to partially regulate blood supply to different
body regions by either constricting or dilating.
Arterioles:
• Transport blood from small arteries to capillaries
• Smallest arteries
• Tunica intima has no observable internal elastic membranes
• Like small arteries capable of vasodilation and vasoconstriction
Types of Veins:
• Venules
• Collects blood from the capillaries and transport it to the small veins
• Composed of:
• Endothelium
• Basement membrane
• Small veins
• Receives blood from the venules and transport it to the medium veins
• Composed of:
• Endothelium
• Basement membrane
• Smooth muscle layer
• Medium veins
• Most veins observed in gross anatomical dissections
• Collects blood from the small veins
• Large veins
• Transport blood from the medium veins back to the heart
• The tunica intima and media are thin
• The tunica adventitia is composed of collagenous connective tissue is the
predominant layer
• Portal Veins
• Begin in a primary capillary network
• Ends in a second capillary network
• There is no pumping mechanism like the heart between the two capillary
networks
• Two systems of portal veins in humans
• Hepatic Portal Veins (GI Tract/Spleen to liver sinusoids)
• Hypothalamohypophysial portal veins (Hypothalamus to Anterior Pituitary Gland)
• Valves
• Veins with a diameter of >2mm contain valves
• Allows blood to flow towards the heart but not in the opposite direction
• Folds in the tunica intima
• The number of valve is greater in veins of the lower limbs than in veins of the
upper limbs
• Vasa vasorum
• Blood vessel that supplies the wall of the arteries and veins
Neural Innervation of blood vessel
• Sympathetic nerve fibers – most common
• Parasympathetic nerve fibers – penis and clitoris
Clinical Impacts:
• Varicose Veins
• Phlebitis
• Gangrene
• Arteriosclerosis
• hardening of the arteries, consists of degenerative changes in arteries
that make them less elastic.
• Atherosclerosis
• deposition of material in the walls of arteries to form distinct plaques.
Two types of Circulation
• Pulmonary circulation
• Right atrium
• Right ventricle
• Pulmonic valve
• Pulmonary artery
• Lungs
• Pulmonary veins
• Left atrium
• Left ventricle
• Systemic circulation - system of vessels that carries blood from the left
ventricle of the heart to the tissues of the body and back to the right atrium.
SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION
(Arteries)
• Aorta
• Ascending Aorta
• Right coronary artery
• Left coronary artery
• Aortic arch
• Brachiocephalic artery
• Left common carotid artery
• Left Subclavian artery
• Descending aorta
• Thoracic aorta
• Abdominal aorta
• Terminal Branches – R and L common iliac artery
Arteries of the Upper Limb
SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION (Veins)
• Three major veins that returns blood back to the heart
• Coronary sinus
• returning blood from the walls of the heart
• Inferior Vena Cava
• returning blood from the abdomen, pelvis, and lower limbs
• Superior Vena Cava
• returning blood from the head, neck, thorax, and upper limbs;
THANK YOU.