Blood Flow and Blood Pressure

Cardiovascular System Functions

Heart, blood vessels, and blood work to transport

 Oxygen and nutrients to cells

 Wastes from cells to liver and kidneys
 Hormones, immune cells, and clotting proteins
to specific target cells
 Maintain pressure in vessels so blood will flow to organs and
tissues
 Blood Vessels
heart  arteries  arterioles capillaries  venules  veins

 Arteries—relatively large, main vessels that conduct

blood away from the heart
 Arterioles—small branching vessels in peripheral tissues
that decrease in diameter (increase in resistance)
 Capillaries—where diffusion takes place between blood
and interstitial fluid (ECF; 3rd space)
 Venules—collect blood from capillaries
 Veins—return blood to heart
 Blood Vessels
Blood vessel walls have three layers:
Tunica intima, media, and externa
 Capillary Fluid Exchange
 Fluid circulates between capillary blood and
interstitium to move nutrients into the interstitial
fluid (ISF) for cell use and wastes out of the ISF
for removal by blood
 Fluid movement occurs via osmosis (not transport)
through openings between adjacent endothelial cells
 Fluid movement in to interstitium is driven by
hydrostatic pressure
 Fluid movement into blood is driven by osmotic
pressure (oncotic pressure)
 Capillary Filtration

Filtration (movement of fluid in to interstitium)

 Driven by hydrostatic pressure (pressure in the
vessel/ MAP)
 Water and small solutes forced through gaps
between endothelial cells
 Leaves larger solutes (glucose + albumins) in
bloodstream
Capillary Hydrostatic Pressure
 Capillary Reabsorption

Reabsorption (movement of fluid back into

capillary)
 Driven by blood colloid osmotic pressure

 Slightly higher colloid osmotic pressure in blood

(6-8%) vs. interstitium due to suspended blood
proteins (albumin) that are too large to cross
capillary walls
Fluid Movement
 Capillary Exchange of Fluid
 Capillary Exchange
 At arterial end of capillary
 Fluid moves into interstitial fluid because hydrostatic
pressure is higher than blood colloid osmotic pressure
 At venous end of capillary
 Fluid moves out of interstitial fluid because hydrostatic
pressure is less than blood colloid osmotic pressure
 capillary fluid movement animation
 Fluid Recycling

 Capillaries filter more out (24 L/day) than they

reabsorb (20 L/day)
 Excess fluid enters lymphatic vessels
 Ensure constant plasma and interstitial fluid
communication
 Accelerate distribution of nutrients, hormones, and
dissolved gases through tissues
 Transport insoluble lipids and tissue proteins that cannot
cross capillary walls
 Flush bacterial toxins and chemicals to immune system
tissues
 Capillary Dynamics
 When does CHP and how does that affect filtration
and reabsorption?
 When does BCOP and how does that affect filtration
and reabsorption?
 Capillary Dynamics
 Dehydration—lose H2O/decrease in blood volume, so
how does that affect CHP and BCOP?
 Increases BCOP and decreases CHP
 Accelerates reabsorption (why????)

 Excess blood volume—how does that affect CHP and

BCOP?
 Increased CHP
 Decreased BCOP
 Accelerates filtration (why??) resulting in edema

 Hemorrhaging
 Reduces CHP and NFP and this leads to increased
reabsorption of interstitial fluid (recall of fluids)
 Capillary Dynamics

Dehydration can be caused by:

Loose water to environment so blood volume
decreases
Decrease in hydrostatic pressure
Increase in plasma protein concentration
 Capillary Dynamics

Edema can be caused by several factors:

Increase in capillary permeability-leaky capillaries via
trauma, or histamine release due to inflammation or
allergic reaction
Decrease in plasma protein concentration-burns,
malnutrition or cirrhosis of the liver
Increase in hydrostatic pressure-cardiac/ renal failure,
obstruction of blood flow, lymphatic obstruction (breast
cancer surgery), or increase in blood volume
 Blood Flow Rate
 The cardiovascular system is regulated to ensure
blood flow through capillaries in periphery
 Why?

 The heart must generate enough pressure to

overcome vessel resistance to keep blood flowing
 How does it do this? (think CO=SV X HR)
 Blood Flow Rate
 Flow rate=volume of blood that flows through the
systemic circuit per minute
 Flow rate is dependent on pressure differences
and resistance within the cardiovascular system
 F= ∆ P/R
 Flow rate is directly proportional to pressure difference
 Flow rate is indirectly proportional resistance
 Blood Flow Rate
 Which body position yields more
resistance to blood flow laying down or
standing and why?

 Flow=P/R
 Lying down=resistance of blood vessels
 Standing=resistance of blood vessels +
gravity
 Pressure Gradient (∆P)
 Blood flows from high low pressure
 The pressure gradient (∆P) = P at one end
of a blood vessel - P at the other end of a
blood vessel
 The greater the difference=the faster blood
flows
Pressure Gradient Across Both Circuits

20
Systemic Circuit Pressure Gradient

21
Systemic Circuit Pressure Gradient

 ∆ P= aortic pressure- vena cava pressure

 ∆ P= MAP- CVP

 ∆ P= MAP- 0

 ∆ P= MAP
 Resistance
Flow through network is effected by resistance (TPR)

Poiseulle’s Law Flow = P/R

R= 8Lη/ π r4 Resistance (R) is due to:
Length of vessel (L)
Viscosity of fluid = 
 dependent on amount of RBC’s
and plasma proteins
Internal radius of vessel (r4)
 arterioles (and small arteries) can
regulate their radii
 Resistance
 Regulation of radius of arterioles (and small
arteries) intrinsically or extrinsically
 Vasodilation
 Increase radius  decrease
resistance increase flow
 Vasoconstriction
 Decrease radius  increase
resistance decrease flow
 Blood Flow Rate
 Flow rate= ∆ P/R
 Capillaries regulate flow rate at the tissue level
intrinsically
 Cardiovascular control centers regulate blood
flow rate and blood pressure on a large scale
(via nervous input to heart and blood vessels)
extrinsically
 Intrinsic Control of Arterioles
 Change in metabolic
activity
 Usually linked to CO2 and
O2 levels (↑ CO2 
vasodilation ↑ blood flow)
 Locally secreted
chemicals can promote
vasoconstriction or most
commonly vasodilation
- inflammatory chemicals
(histamine, nitric oxide)
 Changes in blood flow
- decreased blood flow 
increased metabolic
wastes  vasodilation
increase blood flow
 Stretch of arterial wall
(myogenic response)
- Stretch of arterial wall due to
increased pressure  reflex
constriction
 Extrinsic Control of Arterioles
Baroreceptor Reflex
– Flow rate= ∆ P/R
– How do you get a greater ∆ P?
– MAP= CO X TPR
28
Factors That Influence MAP

Figure 15-10
Factors That Influence MAP

Figure 15-10
 Blood Pressure Regulation

 Blood volume is regulated by aldosterone (when

low BP) and atrial natriuretic peptide/brain
natriuretic peptide (when high BP)
 Blood osmolarity is regulated by kidneys via
antidiuretic hormone
Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System
 When you have low
blood volume

RAAS animation
 Atrial Natriuretic Peptide
 When you have high blood volume
 Antidiuretic Hormone
 Blood osmolarity regulation
 When you are dehydrated
you have high blood osmlarity
 Regulation of Blood Pressure

Figure 21–13 Short-Term and Long-Term Cardiovascular Responses