artery

Examples of artery in the following topics:

• Arteries, Veins, and Capillaries

  • Arteries take blood away from the heart.
  • The main artery is the aorta that branches into other major arteries, which take blood to different limbs and organs.
  • These major arteries include the carotid artery, which takes blood to the brain; the brachial arteries, which take blood to the arms; and the thoracic artery, which takes blood to the thorax and then into the hepatic, renal, and gastric arteries for the liver, kidneys, and stomach, respectively.
  • The iliac artery takes blood to the lower limbs.
  • The major arteries diverge into minor arteries, and then into smaller vessels called arterioles, to reach more deeply into the muscles and organs of the body.

• Kidney Structure

  • The renal arteries split into several segmental arteries upon entering the kidneys.
  • Each segmental artery splits further into several interlobar arteries that enter the renal columns, which supply the renal lobes.
  • The interlobar arteries split at the junction of the renal cortex and medulla to form the arcuate arteries.
  • The arcuate, "bow shaped" arteries form arcs along the base of the medullary pyramids.
  • Cortical radiate arteries, as the name suggests, radiate out from the arcuate arteries, branch into numerous afferent arterioles, and then enter the capillaries supplying the nephrons.

• Structures of the Heart

  • Coronary circulation intrinsic to the heart takes blood directly from the main artery (aorta) coming from the heart.
  • After it is filled, the right ventricle pumps the blood through the pulmonary arteries to the lungs for re-oxygenation.
  • The coronary arteries branch from the aorta, surrounding the outer surface of the heart like a crown.
  • Atherosclerosis is the blockage of an artery by the buildup of fatty plaques.
  • The heart muscle will die without a steady supply of blood; because of the narrow size of the coronary arteries and their function in serving the heart itself, atherosclerosis can be deadly in these arteries.

• Blood Pressure

  • In the arteries, the hydrostatic pressure near the heart is very high.
  • Blood flows to the arterioles (smaller arteries) where the rate of flow is slowed by the narrow openings of the arterioles.
  • The systolic pressure is defined as the peak pressure in the arteries during the cardiac cycle; the diastolic pressure is the lowest pressure at the resting phase of the cardiac cycle.
  • During systole, when new blood is entering the arteries, the artery walls stretch to accommodate the increase of pressure of the extra blood.
  • Blood pressure is related to the blood velocity in the arteries and arterioles.

• Dead Space: V/Q Mismatch

  • As cardiac output increases, the number of capillaries and arteries that are perfused (filled with blood) increases.
  • These capillaries and arteries are not always in use, but are ready if needed.
  • Anatomical dead space, or anatomical shunt, arises from an anatomical failure, while physiological dead space, or physiological shunt, arises from a functional impairment of the lung or arteries.
  • An anatomical shunt develops because the ventilation of the airways does not match the perfusion of the arteries surrounding those airways.

• Blood Flow Through the Body

  • The heart pumps oxygenated and deoxygenated blood throughout the body in a complex system of arteries, veins, and capillaries.
  • With each rhythmic pump of the heart, blood is pushed under high pressure and velocity away from the heart, initially along the main artery, the aorta .
  • From the aorta, blood flows into the arteries and arterioles and, ultimately, to the capillary beds.
  • Blood leaves the heart through the pulmonary artery and aorta, while blood enters the heart through the two venae cavae and pulmonary veins.

• Platelets and Coagulation Factors

  • Non-physiological flow conditions (especially high values of shear stress) caused by arterial stenosis or artificial devices (e.g. mechanical heart valves or blood pumps) can also lead to platelet activation.

• Open and Closed Circulatory Systems

  • The circulatory system is effectively a network of cylindrical vessels (the arteries, veins, and capillaries) that emanate from a pump (the heart).

• Peroxisomes

  • Free radicals are thought to play a role in many destructive processes in the body, from cancer to coronary artery disease.

• Nephron: The Functional Unit of the Kidney

  • A nephron consists of three parts: a renal corpuscle, a renal tubule, and the associated capillary network, which originates from the cortical radiate arteries.