Anatomy & Physiology - Laboratory

STUDENT ACTIVITY SHEET BS NURSING / FIRST YEAR

Session # 33

LESSON TITLE: BLOOD VESSELS AND CIRCULATION Materials:

(Part 1) Pen and notebook

LEARNING TARGETS:

Upon completion of this lesson, you can:

1. Locate major veins and arteries in models and charts;
2. Describe the circulatory pathways to and from major body Reference:
regions;
3. List the function of the circulatory system; VanPutte, C., Regan, J., & Russo, A. (2019).
4. Describe the structure and function of arteries; and, Seeley’s essentials of anatomy & physiology
5. Describe the structure and function of veins and (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
capillaries.

LESSON PREVIEW/ REVIEW

Answer the following questions in your SAS based on your understanding. Here are the questions as follow:

1. Define blood pressure.

2. List any 5 factors that can affect blood pressure.

3. What is the name of the instrument used to measure blood pressure?

4. What is the difference between diastolic and systolic pressure?

MAIN LESSON
You will study and read their book, if available, about this lesson.

Functions of the Circulatory System

● The blood vessels of the body form a network more complex than an interstate highway system.
● The blood vessels carry blood to within two or three cell diameters of nearly all the trillions of cells that make up
the body. Blood flow through them is regulated, so that cells receive adequate nutrients and so that waste
products are removed.
● Blood vessels remain functional, in most cases, in excess of 70 years. And like many other structures of the body,
when blood vessels are damaged, they repair themselves.

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Blood vessels outside the heart are divided into two classes:
❖ the pulmonary vessels, which transport blood from the right ventricle of the heart through the lungs and back to
the left atrium, and
❖ the systemic vessels, which transport blood from the left ventricle of the heart through all parts of the body and
back to the right atrium

Together, the pulmonary vessels and the systemic vessels constitute the circulatory system.
Blood flow through the circulatory system is ensured by the pumping action of the heart. On its own, the circulatory
system has five functions:
1. Carries blood. Blood vessels carry blood from the heart to all the tissues of the body and back to the heart.
2. Exchanges nutrients, waste products, and gases with tissues. Nutrients and O2 diffuse from blood vessels to
cells in essentially all areas of the body. Waste products and CO2 diffuse from the cells, where they are produced,
to blood vessels.
3. Transport substances. Blood transports hormones, components of the immune system, molecules required for
coagulation, enzymes, nutrients, gases, waste products, and other substances to and from all areas of the body.
4. Helps regulate blood pressure. The circulatory system and the heart work together to regulate blood pressure
within a normal range.
5. Directs blood flow to the tissues. The circulatory system directs blood to tissues when increased blood flow is
required to maintain homeostasis.

The three main types of blood vessels are:

❖ arteries,
❖ capillaries, and
❖ veins. 

Arteries
● carry blood away from the heart; usually, the blood is oxygenated (oxygen-rich). 
● Blood is pumped from the ventricles of the heart into large, elastic arteries, which branch repeatedly to form
progressively smaller arteries.
● As they become smaller, the artery walls undergo a gradual transition from having more elastic tissue than
smooth muscle to having more smooth muscle than elastic tissue.
● The arteries are normally classified as elastic arteries, muscular arteries, or arterioles, although they form a
continuum from the largest to the smallest branches.

Except in capillaries and venules, blood vessel walls consist of three layers, or tunics. From the inner to the outer
wall, the tunics are:
● the tunica intima,
● the tunica media, and
● the tunica adventitia, or tunica externa

Tunica Intima 
✔ innermost layer
✔ consists of an endothelium composed of simple squamous epithelial cells, a basement membrane, and a small
amount of connective tissue.
✔ In muscular arteries, the tunica intima also contains a layer of thin elastic connective tissue. 
Tunica Media
✔ middle layer
✔ consists of smooth muscle cells arranged circularly around the blood vessel.
✔ It also contains variable amounts of elastic and collagen fibers, depending on the size and type of the vessel.
✔ In muscular arteries, a layer of elastic connective tissue forms the outer margin of the tunica media. 
Tunica Adventitia 
✔ is composed of dense connective tissue adjacent to the tunica media; the tissue becomes loose connective tissue
toward the outer portion of the blood vessel wall.

Arteries
Elastic arteries are the largest-diameter arteries and have the thickest walls.
Elastic arteries stretch when the ventricles of the heart pump blood into them. The elastic recoil of these arteries prevents
blood pressure from falling rapidly and maintains blood flow while the ventricles are relaxed.

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Muscular arteries include medium-sized and small arteries. The walls of medium-sized arteries are relatively thick
compared to their diameter. Most of the wall’s thickness results from smooth muscle cells of the tunica media. 

Arterioles transport blood from small arteries to capillaries. Arterioles are the smallest arteries in which the three tunics
can be identified. The tunica media of arterioles consists of only one or two layers of circular smooth muscle cells. Small
arteries and arterioles are adapted for vasodilation and vasoconstriction.

GENERAL FEATURES OF BLOOD VESSEL STRUCTURE

From the capillaries, blood flows into veins

Capillaries
● Blood flows from arterioles into capillaries. 
● Capillaries branch to form networks. 
● Blood flow through capillary networks is regulated by smooth muscle cells called precapillary sphincters. 
● These precapillary sphincters are located at the origin of the branches of the capillaries and, by contracting and
relaxing, regulate the amount of blood flow through the various sections of the network.
● Capillary walls consist of endothelium, which is a layer of simple squamous epithelium surrounded by delicate
loose connective tissue. 
● The thin walls of capillaries facilitate diffusion between the capillaries and surrounding cells. 
● Each capillary is 0.5–1 millimeter (mm) long. Capillaries branch without changing their diameter, which is
approximately the same as the diameter of a red blood cell (7.5 µm).
● Red blood cells flow through most capillaries in a single file and are frequently folded as they pass through the
smaller-diameter capillaries. As blood flows through capillaries, blood gives up O2 and nutrients to the tissue
spaces and takes up CO2 and other by-products of metabolism. 
● Capillary networks are more numerous and more extensive in the lungs and in highly metabolic tissues, such as
the liver, kidneys, skeletal muscle, and cardiac muscle, than in other tissue types.

Veins 
● carry blood toward the heart; usually, the blood is deoxygenated (oxygen-poor). 
● Compared to arteries, the walls of veins are thinner and contain less elastic tissue and fewer smooth muscle
cells. 
● Starting at capillaries and proceeding toward the heart, small-diameter veins come together to form
larger-diameter veins, which are fewer in number. 
● Veins increase in diameter and decrease in number as they progress toward the heart, and their walls increase in
thickness. 
● Veins may be classified as venules, small veins, medium-sized veins, or large veins.

Veins
● Blood flows from capillaries into venules and from venules into small veins. 
● Venules have a diameter slightly larger than that of capillaries and are composed of endothelium resting on a
delicate connective tissue layer. 
● The structure of venules, except for their diameter, is very similar to that of capillaries. 
● Small veins are slightly larger in diameter than venules. All three tunics are present in small veins. 
● The tunica media contains a continuous layer of smooth muscle cells, and the connective tissue of the tunica
adventitia surrounds the tunica media.

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING

You will answer and rationalize this by yourself. This will be recorded as your quiz. One (1) point will be given to the
correct answer and another one (1) point for the correct ratio. Superimpositions or erasures in your answer/ratio is not
allowed.

1. Largest artery of the body.

a. Intercostal arteries
b. Bronchial arteries
c. Aorta
d. Abdominal aorta
ANSWER: ________
RATIO:___________________________________________________________________________________________
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2. What three layers compose blood vessels?
1. Tunica ("coat") Intima 4. Tunica Externa
2. Tunica Media 5. Tunica Innate
3. Tunica Adventitia 6. Tunica Medium
a. 1,2,3
b. 4,5,6
c. 1,2,3,4
d. All of the above
ANSWER: ________
RATIO:___________________________________________________________________________________________
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3. Which layer of blood vessels contains smooth muscle tissue?

a. Tunica intima
b. Tunica adventitia
c. Tunica media
d. All of the above
ANSWER: ________
RATIO:___________________________________________________________________________________________
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4. Refer to the picture.

a. femoral artery
b. popliteal vein
c. great saphenous vein
d. leg artery

ANSWER: ________
RATIO:_____________________________________________________________
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5. Part of the aorta as it leaves the heart.

a. Thoracic aorta
b. Ascending aorta
c. Abdominal aorta
d. Brachiocephalic
ANSWER: ________
RATIO:___________________________________________________________________________________________
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RATIONALIZATION ACTIVITY
The instructor will now provide you the rationalization to these questions. You can now ask questions and debate among
yourselves. Write the correct answer and correct/additional ratio in the space provided.

1. ANSWER: ________
RATIO:________________________________________________________________________________________
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2. ANSWER: ________
RATIO:________________________________________________________________________________________
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3. ANSWER: ________
RATIO:________________________________________________________________________________________
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4. ANSWER: ________
RATIO:________________________________________________________________________________________
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5. ANSWER: ________
RATIO:________________________________________________________________________________________
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LESSON WRAP-UP
You will now mark (encircle) the session you have finished today in the tracker below. This is simply a visual to help you
track how much work you have accomplished and how much work there is left to do.

You are done with the session! Let’s track your progress.

AL Activity: REVIEW TEST

This strategy is an efficient way for you to practice and clarify learnings. You will be answering each question based on
your understanding and comprehension in today's topic. Make sure to not miss any detail!

1. Do arteries always contain oxygenated blood?

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2. Which vessels carry blood away from the heart?

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3. Which vessels have a smaller lumen, veins or arteries?

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4. Which have thicker walls, veins or arteries?

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5. Which have more elastin, veins or arteries?

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6. Which have valves?

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7. What type of blood vessel can close the lumen completely when it contracts?
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8. Aorta that follows the spine below the diaphragm.

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9. Name 3 blood pumps

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