Question | Answer |
Definition of Artery | carry blood away from heart |
Definition of Vein | carry blood to the heart |
Tunica adventitia | outer layer; collagen tissue and elastin; assists in supporting weight of arterial blood |
Tunica media | middle layer; transverse elastic fibers and smooth muscle; shunt blood to areas of need |
Nitric Oxide | produced by endothelial cells in tunica media; inhibits platelet aggregation; diminished release may contribute to risk of myocardial infarction |
Tunica intima | inner layer; endothelial cells; reduce leakage of arterial blood (waterproofs artery); produces nitric oxide |
Elastic artery | largest type of artery; able to expand and snap back; propel blood through arterial system; aortic arch, thoracic aorta, abdominal aorta |
Windkessel effect | expansion and snapping back of arteries |
Muscular artery | distribute blood to various parts of body; mainly smooth muscle fibers; regulates blood flow to working areas of body; femoral artery, branches of aorta |
Arterioles | smallest and most numerous arteries; closest to capillaries; narrow lumen and thick muscular walls; constrict and dilate; important regulators to tissue |
Definition of atherosclerosis | build up of hard plaque on blood vessel walls; begins with injury to tunica intima |
Cause of injury to tunica intima | points of bifurcation, hypertension/barotraumas, cigarette smoke, smokeless tobacco |
Process of atherosclerosis | 1. injury to tunica intima 2. monocytes (macrophages) adhere to artery wall 3. macrophages engulf dead tissue 4. macrophages consume LDL cholesterol and form a mass, die and then become hard |
Interlukin | released by macrophages; stimulate growth of smooth muscle of the artery into the lumen of the vessel which further obstructs blood flow |
Angina Pectoris | when 50% or more of lumen of artery is blocked; symptoms of chest pain, pain radiating in the left pectoral area, left arm and left jaw |
Referred pain | areas of pain coincide with segmental distribution of the sensory fibers that enter the same spinal segments at the fibers coming from the heart. |
Myocardial infarction | when coronary blockage becomes severe enough to block off the supply of arterial blood |
Stable angina | atherosclerosis that remains stable (sometimes due to lifestyle changes) |
Osteoponin | manufactured by arterial wall; ability to form hydroxyapatite; released to prevent embolisms by strengthening arterial plaque; calcified cap is 5X stiffer than plaque |
Embolism | plaque that breaks off of the arterial wall and is travelling in the bloodstream; can eventually be lodged in a smaller artery causing a stroke or heart attack |
Platelets | provide initial plug at vascular injury; produce enzyme thromboxane A2 |
Thromboxane A2 | induces platelet aggregation by making platelets stick together to form a clot; powerful vasoconstrictor which can further obstruct lumen of artery; cannot be synthesized by platelets |
Aspirin | used to reduce plaque by blocking the production of thromboxane A2; action is permanent; doses maximally effective at 325mg/day |
Arteriosclerosis | hardening of arteries; harder arteries are more susceptible to injury (doesn't dissipate the force of the blood) |
Right coronary artery | branch of aorta (ascending aorta); supplies arterial blood to SA node in 70% of pop and AV node in 80% pop; right atrium, anterior right ventricle, posterior aspect of right ventricle; forms posterior descending coronary artery in 50% pop |
Right main dominant | posterior descending artery is supplied by right coronary artery |
Left coronary artery | branch of aorta (ascending aorta); supplies SA node in 30% of pop and AV in 20% of pop; bifurcates into anterior descending coronary artery |
Anterior descending coronary artery | branch of left coronary artery; supplies anterior wall of left ventricle and circumflex artery |
Circumflex artery | branch of anterior descending coronary artery; supplies left lateral wall of the left ventricle |
Posterior descending coronary artery | branch of right or circumflex artery (depending on dominance); supplies posterior aspect of left ventricle |
Left main dominant | posterior descending artery is supplied by circumflex artery (a branch of the left coronary artery) |
Left main dominance v. right main dominance | better to be right dominant; if left coronary artery were to become blocked in a left dominant person, then the left lateral wall and the posterior aspect of the left ventricle would be affected. |
Brachiocephalic artery | branch of arch of aorta; supplies right aspect of head, neck and arm |
Left common carotid artery | branch of arch of aorta; supplies left aspect of head and neck |
Left subclavian artery | branch of arch of aorta; supplies left arm |
Carotid arteries (internal and external) | ascend neck ensheathed with the internal jugular vein and vagus nerve until the adam's apple |
Internal Carotid artery | bifurcates just lateral to optic chiasma into anterior and middle cerebral arteries |
Anterior cerebral artery | branch of internal carotid artery; supplies medial and superior regions of brain; contains many twists and turns and are very susceptible to blockage |
Middle cerebral artery | branch of internal carotid artery; supplies the lateral and temporal aspects of brain; contains many twists and turns and are very susceptible to blockage |
Lenticulostriate arteries | arteries to the basal ganglia; branch off of the middle cerebral artery at right angles; very susceptible to blockage |
External carotid artery | gives off eight branches; supplies face and scalp |
Maxillary artery | branch of external carotid artery; supplies the orbit, teeth, upper and lower jaw, chewing muscles, nasal cavity and tissue. |
Superficial temporal artery | branch of external carotid artery; supplies the scalp |
Superior thyroid artery | branch of external carotid artery; supplies the hyoid bone, larynx, and thyroid gland |
Lingual artery | branch of external carotid artery; supplies the tongue |
Facial artery | branch of external carotid artery; supplies the face |
Ascending pharyngeal artery | branch of external carotid artery; supplies the pharynx and middle ear |
Occipital artery | branch of external carotid artery; supplies the superficial occipital tissue and scalp |
Posterior auricular artery | branch of external carotid artery; supplies the external ear and external meatus |
Bronchial artery(ies) | branch of thoracic aorta; supplies the lungs |
Esophageal artery | branch of thoracic aorta; supplies the esophagus |
Pericardial artery | branch of thoracic aorta; supplies the pericardium |
Intercostal arteries | branch of thoracic aorta; supply intercostal spaces |
Thoracic wall arteries | branch of thoracic aorta; supply abdominal muscles, diaphragm, intercostal muscles, and deep back muscles |
Mediastinal arteries | branch of thoracic aorta; supply the mediastinum |
Superior phrenic artery | branch of thoracic aorta; supplies the superior diaphragm |
Inferior phrenic artery | branch of abdominal aorta; supplies the inferior diaphragm |
Celiac trunk | branch of abdominal aorta; has three branches |
Left gastric artery | branch of celiac trunk; supplies lesser curvature of stomach |
Splenic artery | branch of celiac trunk; supplies spleen and pancreas; gives off the left gastroepipolic artery and the short gastric artery |
Gastroepipolic artery | branch of splenic artery; supplies the greater curvature of stomach and omentums |
Short gastric artery | branch of splenic artery; supplies the fundus of stomach |
Common hepatic artery | branch of celiac trunk; supplies liver, pancreas, gallbladder; forms right gastric artery and right gastroepipolic artery |
Right gastric artery | branch of common hepatic artery; merges with left gastric artery to supply the lesser curvature of stomach |
Right gastroepiploic artery | branch of common hepatic artery; supplies the greater curvature of stomach and the greater omentum |
Superior mesenteric artery | branch of abdominal aorta; supplies all of small intestine and ascending and transverse colon |
Inferior mesenteric artery | branch of abdominal aorta; supplies the descending colon, sigmoid colon and rectum |
Renal artery | branch of abdominal aorta; supplies kidneys |
Goadneal artery | branch of abdominal aorta; supplies testes |
Right subclavian artery | terminal branch of brachiocephalic artery; many branches to the right arm |
Vertebral artery | branch of subclavian arteries; forms basilar artery |
Basilar artery | right and left aspects of vertebral arteries; bifurcates into right and left posterior cerebral arteries; leads to circle of willis |
Circle of Willis | formed by the posterior cerebral artery, internal carotid artery, and the anterior cerebral arteries; forms a collateral in the event of artery blockage |
Internal thoracic artery | branch of subclavian arteries; branches to first six intercostal spaces; forms superior epigastric artery and muscular phrenic artery |
Epigastric artery | branch of internal thoracic artery; supplies rectus abdominus |
Muscular phrenic artery | branch of internal thoracic artery; supplies the diaphragm |
Thyrocervical artery | branch of subclavian arteries; branches to thyroid gland; forms suprascapular artery, transverse cervical artery, and anastomoses with thoracodorsal artery around scapula |
Suprascapular artery | branch of thyrocervical artery; supplies supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subclavius, sternocleidomastoid, acromion/clavicular joint and clavicle. |
Superficial transverse cervical artery | branch of thyrocervical artery; supplies upper trapezius, sternocelidomastoid, scalenes, and levator scapula |
Deep transverse cervical artery | branch of thyrocervical artery; transitions into dorsal scapular artery; supplies rhomboids, subscapularis, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, teres minor, and teres major; anastomoses with thoracodorsal artery around scapula |
Costocervical artery | branch of subclavian arteries; supplies first two intercostal spaces and muscles to the neck |
Axillary artery | continuation of subclavian artery; many branches |
Superior thoracic artery | branch of axillary artery; supplies 1st and 2nd intercostal spaces, superior aspect of serratus anterior, pectoralis major and pectoralis minor |
Thoracoacromial artery | branch of axillary artery; supplies serratus anterior, pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, deltoid and subclavian |
Lateral thoracic artery | branch of axillary artery; supplies serratus anterior, pectoralis major, pectoralis minor and subscapularis |
Subscapular artery | largest branch of axillary artery; has three branches |
Posterior circumflex humeral artery | branch of subscapular artery; supplies deltoid, biceps brachii, coracobrachialis, and the shoulder joint; anastomoses with anterior circumflex humeral artery around shoulder |
Anterior circumflex humeral artery | branch of subscapular artery; supplies biceps brachii, coracobrachialis, deltoid, and head of humerus; anastomoses with posterior curcumflex humeral artery around shoulder |
Thoracodorsal artery | branch of subscapular artery; supplies posterior area of scapula; anastomoses with dorsal scapular artery around scapula |
Brachial artery | continuation of axillary artery; many unnamed and named branches |
Profunda brachii artery | largest branch of brachial artery; supplies an occasional nutrient artery to the humeral head; anastomoses with radial recurrent artery around elbow |
Anastomose | functionally important; provides ample blood flow when the joint is flexed |
Nutrient humeral artery | branch of the axillary artery; supplies the nutrient canal of the humerus |
Superior ulnar collateral artery | branch of the axillary artery; anastomoses with posterior ulnar recurrent artery and anterior ulnar recurrent artery around elbow |
Inferior ulnar collateral artery | branch of axillary artery; anastomoses with the anterior ulnar recurrent artery around elbow |
Ulnar artery | division of brachial artery; forms superficial palmer arch artery and four common palmer digital arteries; many branches |
Superficial palmer arch artery | branch of the ulnar artery; moves transversely across the palmer surface of the hand; supplies the superficial palmer surface; anastomoses with the radial indicis artery around the palm. |
Palmer digital arteries | branch of the ulnar artery; anastomose with the palmer metacarpal arteries around the fingers |
Anterior ulnar recurrent artery | branch of ulnar artery; supplies brachialis and pronator teres; anastomoses with the inferior ulnar collateral artery around elbow |
Posterior ulnar recurrent artery | branch of ulnar artery; supplies flexor digitorium profundus and flexor carpi ulnaris; anastomoses around the elbow |
Anterior interosseus artery | branch of ulnar artery; supplies muscles on either side of the antebrachium and the ulna and radius; anastomoses with the posterior interosseous artery |