Blood vessels

Diagram

Smooth lumen
muscle
Basement
membrane

epithelium Connective tissue epithelium

Artery Vein Capillary

Artery

● Transport oxygenated blood away from

the heart (except pulmonary artery)
● Branch into smaller vessels called
arterioles
● Small lumen
● No valve except semilunar valves
● High pressure
● Thick muscular walls
Capillary

● The arterioles branch to form tiny

vessels with thin walls (one thick cell)
called capillary
● Act as the sites for the exchange of
respiratory gases, nutrients and wastes
● Largest lumen
● Pressure lower than arteries but higher
than veins
● No muscle
Vein

● The capillaries join with one another to

form venules
● Venules join together to form larger veins
● Transport deoxygenated blood back to
the heart (except pulmonary vein)
● Valves present
● Larger lumen
● Low pressure
● Thin muscle wall
Moving the blood through the system

● By the pumping action of the heart

● Contractions of skeletal muscle squeeze
blood along veins
● Inspiratory movements of the thorax
reduce the pressure inside the thoracic
cavity, which helps to draw blood back to
the heart
The double circulatory system

● Each complete circuit of the body blood

flows through the heart twice.
● The pulmonary circulation transports
blood between the heart and the lungs.
● The systemic circulation carries blood
between the heart and all other parts of
the body.