Physiology 2130 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Pulmonary Artery, Pulmonary Circulation, Elastic Fiber
25 Mar 2015
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Document Summary
The blood vessels consist of: arteries/arterioles- carry blood away from the heart, capillaries- where gas exchange takes place, veins/venules- carry blood towards the heart. As seen, large arteries branch into smaller arteries which branch into arterioles. These arterioles then branch into smaller vessels which lead to the capillaries. These are the smallest functional unit of the circulatory system. The capillaries then converge into small venules, which get larger and larger to form veins. The two types of loops blood takes in the body: pulmonary circulation- this begins on the right side of the body and delivers blood to the lunges via the pulmonary artery. The pulmonary artery branches into smaller and smaller vessels, which eventually become pulmonary capillaries. Gas exchange occurs here, with oxygen diffusing in and carbon dioxide diffusing out. These branch into smaller arterioles, which branch into capillaries. Oxygen/nutrients/hormones are delivered to the cells and carbon dioxide/waste products are picked up by the blood.
