Physiology of Circulation

Dr. Ali Ebneshahidi

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 Blood vessels
 Arteries: Blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart to the
lungs and tissues. Arterioles are small arteries that deliver blood to the
capillaries ,and because of their small diameter , they play a key role in
vasoconstriction and vasodilatation . Most arteries and arterioles
carry oxygenated blood, except the pulmonary arteries where they
transport deoxygenated blood from RV to the lungs .

 Capillaries: Microscopic blood vessels that allow the exchange of

nutrients and wastes between blood and tissues . This exchange is a
filtration process enforced by hydrostatic pressure (created by water
molecules in blood plasma) and osmotic pressure (created by plasma
proteins , particularly albumin).

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 Veins: blood vessels that carry blood to the heart , from the lungs
and tissues . Blood pressure in veins is extremely low , as a result
valves formed by the tunica internal layer are necessary to
prevent backflow. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood , except the
pulmonary veins where they transport oxygenated blood from the lungs
to the left atrium. Venules are small veins that are formed by the union
of several capillaries .

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 Blood vessels

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

 Blood vessels
 Arteries & arterioles
 The arteries are adapted to carry relatively high blood pressure
away from the heart .
 Arterioles are branches of arteries .
 The walls of arteries and arterioles consist of layers of
endothelium / smooth muscle , and connective tissue .
 Autonomic fibers that can stimulate vasoconstriction or
vasodilation innervate smooth muscles in vessel walls .
 capillaries – connects arterioles and venules . The capillary wall
is a single layer of cells that from a semi-permeable membrane .

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Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings
 Capillary Permeability
 A. Capillary permeability:
 (1) opening in the capillary walls are thin slits between endothelial
cells.
 (2) the size of openings vary from tissue to tissue .
 (3) Endothelial cells of brain capillaries are tightly fused , forming a
blood – brain barrier through which substances move by facilitated
diffusion .
 b. capillary arrangement – capillary density varies directly with tissue
metabolic rates .
 c. regulation of capillary blood flow
 (1) precapillary sphincters regulate capillary blood flow .

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 (2) precapillary sphincters
open when cells are low in
O2 and nutrients , and close
when cellular needs are met.
 3. Exchange of capillaries
 a. Gases , nutrients , and
metabolic by – products are
exchanged between the
capillary blood and tissue
fluid .
 b. Diffusion provide the most
important means of transport.

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 c. Diffusion pathways depend on lipid solubilities .
 d. Plasma proteins generally remains in the blood .
 e. Filtration , which is due to the hydrostatic pressure of blood , causes
a net outward movement of fluid at the arteriolar end of a capillary.
The hydrostatic pressure of the blood forces fluid the arteriolar ends of
capillaries into the interstitial spaces of the tissues .
 f. Osmosis causes a net inward movement of fluid at the venular end of
a capillary. Since the colloid osmotic pressure of plasma is greater than
that of tissue fluid, water returns by osmosis to the venular end of
capillaries .
 g. Excess tissue fluid is returned to the venous system by lymphatic
vessels . Edema occurs when excess tissue fluid accumulates .
 4. venules and veins: venules continue from capillaries and merge to
from veins .
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
 Hemodynamics
 The velocity (speed) of blood
flow is inversely related to the
total cross – sectional area of
blood vessels , where the larger
the total area , the slower the
velocity. [capillaries , as a group ,
make up the largest total cross –
sectional area in the
cardiovascular system , as a result
allow the slowest velocity of
blood flow].
 Blood flow is affected by blood
pressure (BP) and resistance
(R).
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 R refers to the opposition to
blood flow due to friction
between blood and blood
vessel walls , blood clots ,and
other resisting factors , it is
calculated based on the
fourth power of the radius of
blood vessel : R=1/r4 . This
equation indicates that the
smaller the radius , the larger
the resistance to blood flow.
[A blood vessel with a 1 mm
radius offers 16 folds more
resistance than a blood vessel
with a 2 mm radius!].
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 Blood volume: The sum of all blood
cells and blood plasma volume. About
5 liters in an average person.
 Peripheral resistance : Friction
between blood flow and blood vessel
walls produces resistance that affect
blood flow and blood pressure.
 Viscosity: Higher viscosity of blood
(thicker blood) causes more friction in
blood flow, resulting in more
resistance.

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

 Blood pressure
 Blood pressure is the force blood exerts against the insides of
blood vessels.
 1. Arterial blood pressure:
 a. The arterial blood pressure is produced primarily by heart
action it rises and falls with phases of the cardiac cycle .
 b. systolic pressure occurs when the ventricle contracts ;
diastolic pressure occurs when the ventricle relaxes .
 2. Factors that influence arterial blood pressure .
 a. Heart action , blood volume , resistance to flow , and blood
viscosity influence arterial blood pressure .

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 b. Arterial blood pressure , as cardiac output , blood volume ,
peripheral resistance, or blood viscosity increases .
 3. control of blood pressure:
 a. blood pressure is controlled in part by mechanisms that regulate
cardiac output and peripheral resistance .
 b. cardiac output depends on the volume of blood discharged from the
ventricle with each beat and on the heart rate .
 (1) The more blood that enters the heart , the stronger the ventricular
contraction , the greater the stroke volume and the greater the cardiac
output .
 (2) The cardiac center of the medulla oblongata regulates heart rate .

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c. changes in the
diameter of arterioles ,
controlled by the
vasomotor center of the
medulla oblongata ,
regulate peripheral
resistance .

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 Venous Blood Flow
 a. venous blood flow is not a direct result of heart action ; it
depends on skeletal muscle contraction , breathing movement
and venoconstriction .
 - pressure changes during breathing due to abdominal pressure
creates a respiratory pump that sucks blood up ward toward the
heart .
 - skeletal muscle contraction pump blood to ward the heart .
 b. veins contain flap like values that prevent blood from backing
up .
 c. venous constriction can increase venous pressure and blood
flow .

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 The muscular pump

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 Trans capillary Exchange system

 1. Diffusion (permeability :
 a. Degree to which capillary permits the passage of molecules.
 b. Major determinants are lipid solubility and molecular size
and shape.
 c. Ions do pass perhaps through gaps in or between cells.
 d. Another large determinant is concentration gradients and
surface area.
 e. large lipid – insoluble molecule (albumin) enter through
pores.

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 f. capillary permeability is not uniform throughout the body .
- capillaries of liver and intestine have higher permeability , muscle
and skin have lower permeability .

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 Capillary Filtration Rate
 a. movement of fluid and solutes through wall in response to a
hydrostatic pressure gradient .
 b. Size of molecule plays a role
 c. water filtrates through capillary wall between cell margins
and through fenestrations (cell overlap) and gaps .
 d. Transport of solutes via filtration is slight and much less
than via diffusion .
 3. Net trans capillary exchange of water depends on balance
between filtration (force fluid out of circulation) and diffusion
(absorbs fluid into circulation) .

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 Transcapillary Exchange of Fluids
Transcapillary exchange of fluids depends on :

 a. capillary hydrostatic force (CHP) and tissue spaces (THP).

 b. The collidal osmotic (diffusional) force of the plasma (POP)
and the interstitial fluid (TOP) .
 CHP : depends on arterial pressure , venous pressure and the
ratio of post to pre capillary pressure .
 THP : represents pressure developed in interstitial compartment
outside capillary wall . THP is determined by volume of fluid in
the interstitial space and by distensibility of space .

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 Fluid Exchange at the Capillary

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 Plasma Colloid Osmotic (Oncotic) Pressure
 Plasma colloid osmotic (oncotic) pressure :
 a. In osmosis the concentration of particles is the major determinant of
osmotic gradient across a semi-permeable , rather selectively
permeable membrane .
 b. Thus , plasma proteins are effective osmotic particles in the trans-
capillary system .
 c. Any condition leading to : decrease plasma proteins , increase
capillary pressure, increase capillary permeability will result in
accumulation of fluid in extra vascular tissue causing edema.
 d. Oncotic pressure also contributed by unequal distribution of
diffusible ions .

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 Tissue Colloid Osmotic (Oncotic) Pressure
 Provided by plasma proteins which have passed through
capillary wall into interstitial fluid compartment.
 Thus , it varies according to changes in capillary wall
permeability.
 Low in muscle , higher in intestine and liver.
 Note : CHP may be controlled by arterial and venous resistance.
 - Increase capillary pressure is due to pre –vasoconstriction and
decrease surface area.
 - post – vasodilation : increase diameter and decrease pressure.

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 Pressure gradient
Blood plasma and interstitial fluid are almost identical in
composition except for the presence of considerable amounts of
protein in plasma and very little in the interstitial fluid .
With plasma on one side and interstitial fluid on the other side
of a membrane made up of a capillary wall , we find fluid
flowing from interstitial fluid to plasma as a result of inequality
of plasma protein in the two fluids .
To prevent flow , pressure equal to 23 mmHg must be applied
to the plasma. This is the osmotic gradient caused by unequal
amount of proteins (the oncotic gradient ). In the body , This
pressure is applied by the heart ; it is the capillary blood
pressure .

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 Filtration & reabsorption in the capillary
•Capillary blood pressure is not the same in all parts of a capillary ; it
is higher at the arterial end and falls continuously through the capillary
until reaching the lowest value at the venous end.

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 keeping track of fluid balance in an average capillary shows that at the
arterial end , hydrostatic pressure gradient = blood pressure- tissue
pressure = 35-2=33 mmHg pushing fluid out (filtration).
 oncotic pressure gradient = plasma oncotic pressure – tissue oncotic
pressure = 25-2=23 mmHg pulling fluid in (reabsorption) . The net
result at the arterial end is 33-23=10 mmHg pushing fluid out .
 At the venous end the blood pressure is lower about 15 mmHg . Now
we have only the hydrostatic pressure gradient = 15-2=13 mmHg
pushing fluid out while the same oncotic pressure gradient of 23
mmHg pulls fluid in . In other words , at the venous end of the
capillary , we have 23-13=10 mmHg pulling fluid in .

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 Causes of Edema
 1. High arterial blood pressure / which increases
capillary pressure.
 2. Venous obstruction.
 3. Decreased plasma protein concentration, leakage of
plasma protein into interstitial fluid.
 4. myxedema – excessive production of glycoproteins
(mucin) in the extracellular matrix caused by
hypothyroidism.
 5. Decreased drainage – obstruction of lymphatic
vessels.
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 Variables that affect venous return & end-diastolic volume
increase end diastolic volume

increase venous return

increase negative
intrathoracic volume
increase blood volume increase venous pressure
Breathing
decrease urine decrease tissue fluid vasconstriction skeletal
volume volume muscle
pump
Sympathetic nerve stimulation
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 Regulation by Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH)
 Release of ADH from posterior pituitary occurs when neurons in
hypothalamus called osmoreceptors detect an increase in plasma
osmolality (osmotic pressure) [produced by dehydration or excessive
salt intake] . ADH stimulates reabsorption of H2O from kidney filtrate
and act to maintain blood volume .
 A decrease in blood flow to the kidneys activate the renin–angiotensin
system .
 Angiotensin II stimulates vasoconstriction and the secretion of
aldosterone by the adrenal cortex .
 Aldosterone acts on the kidneys to promote the retention of salt and
water .

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 Negative feedback control of blood volume & osmolarity
 Stimuli : Dehydration or salt ingestion
(decrease blood volume)
increase blood osmolality
Osmoreceptors in hypothalamus

Posterior pituitary thirst

increase ADH
increase water retention by kidneys Drinking
Negative
Feed back response: increase blood volume & decrease blood osmolality

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 Control of B.P. by the baroreceptor reflex:
 Going from lying to standing position Decrease venous return
Decrease end diastolic volume Decrease stroke volume
Decrease cardiac output Decrease blood pressure
Baroreceptors (sensory neurons)

Medulla Oblongata
Increase sympathetic
& Decrease parasympathetic
Vasoconstriction of arterioles Increase cardiac rate
Increase total peripheral resistance Increase cardiac output

Increase blood pressure

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 Measurement of pressure
 With each heart beat , the arterial pressure in a young adult
varies between 120 (systolic) and 80 (systolic) mmHg .
pulse pressure= systolic – diastolic = 120-80= 40 mmHg .
 To measure blood pressure , wrap a pressure cuff around an arm
and inflate until arteries collapse and blood flow stops. The
pressure at which sounds first occur corresponds to the pressure
when the artery is just barely able to open for a moment , which
equals to systolic pressure (the 1st korotkoff sound). Continue
releasing pressure until the sound muffle ; this equals to
diastolic pressure (the 2nd korotkoff sound). The sounds arise
from the turbulent blood flow through the narrowed (partially
collapsed) artery under the cuff .

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