Circulatory system blood pressure

Metabolic acidosis can also result when a person is severely burned. Blood plasma leaks from the circulatory system into the injured area, producing edema (swelling) and reducing the blood volume. If the burned area is large, this loss of blood volume may be sufficient to reduce blood flow and oxygen supply to all the body s tissues. Lack of oxygen, in turn, causes the tissues to produce an excessive amount of lactic acid and leads to metabolic acidosis. To minimize the decrease in pH, the injured person breathes harder to eliminate the excess C02. However, if blood volume drops below levels for which the body can compensate, a vicious circle ensues in which blood flow decreases still further, blood pressure falls, C02 excretion diminishes, and acidosis becomes more severe. People in this state are said to be in shock and will die if not treated promptly. 

Practitioners must have a good understanding of cardiovascular physiology to diagnose, treat, and monitor circulatory problems in critically ill patients. Eugene Braunwald, a renowned cardiologist, described the interrelationships between the major hemodynamic variables (Fig. 10-1).1 These variables include arterial blood pressure, cardiac output (CO), systemic vascular resistance (SVR), heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), left ventricular size, afterload, myocardial contractility, and preload. While an oversim-... 

Symptoms of intoxication in humans caused by accidental ingestion of Kou-Wen plants have been described as follows. The effect on the digestive system starts with loss of appetite and turn of the stomach, and continues to severe abdominal pain and intestinal bleeding. The effect on the respiratory system presents as breathing difficulties which finally lead to death by respiratory failure. The effect on muscle innervation usually results in generalized muscular weakness and paralysis of the limbs. The effect on the circulatory system starts with heartbeat disorders and a drop in blood pressure, but heart failure is not a common cause of death. In addition to dilation of pupils, a drop in body temperature and proliferation of white blood cells have also been obseryed (70). 

All of the organ systems in the body, except the reproductive system, contribute to the maintenance of homeostasis (see Table 1.1). For example, the gastrointestinal tract digests foods to provide nutrients to the body. The respiratory system obtains oxygen and eliminates carbon dioxide. The circulatory system transports all of these materials and others from one part of the body to another. The renal system eliminates wastes and plays a role in regulating blood volume and blood pressure. 

Figure 1.2 Negative feedback. These types of responses are employed throughout the body in order to maintain homeostasis. In this example, any change in blood pressure, which is monitored within the circulatory system and processed within the CNS, will cause reflex changes in heart rate. The change in heart rate will be in the opposite direction of the change in blood pressure if blood pressure increases, then heart rate decreases if blood pressure decreases, then heart rate increases. In this way, blood pressure is adjusted back to its normal value.

Describe how blood pressure changes as blood flows through the circulatory system... 

The most distensible vessels in the circulatory system are the veins. As with arteries, this feature of the veins also has important physiological implications because it allows them to serve as blood reservoirs. The veins are so distensible that they are capable of holding large volumes of blood at very low pressures. In fact, under resting conditions, 64% of the blood volume is contained within these vessels. 

Compliance (C) in the circulatory system describes the relationship between vascular blood volume (V) and intravascular pressure (P) ... 

Gravitational forces may have a profound influence on blood flow through the circulatory system. As a result, VR and CO may be affected. Imagine that the circulatory system is a column of blood that extends from the heart to the feet. As in any column of fluid, the pressure at the surface is equal to zero. Due to the weight of the fluid, the pressure increases incrementally below the surface. This pressure is referred to as the hydrostatic pressure. 

Two different circulatory systems, the bronchial and the pulmonary, supply the lungs with blood [133], The bronchial circulation is a part of the systemic circulation and is under high pressure. It receives about 1% of the cardiac output and supplies the conducting airways, pulmonary blood vessels and lymph nodes [133], It is important for the distribution of systemically administered drugs to the airways and to the absorption of inhaled drugs from the airways [18]. The pulmonary circulation comprises an extensive low-pressure vascular bed, which receives the entire cardiac output. It perfuses the alveolar capillaries to secure efficient gas exchange and supplies nutrients to the alveolar walls. Anastomoses between bronchial and pulmonary arterial circulations have been found in the walls of medium-sized bronchi and bronchioles [18, 65, 67],... 

The integrated function of the vasculature and heart, as a closed circulatory system, supplies nutrients and oxygen to critical organs and removes metabolic wastes and carbon dioxide. This integrated system results from the careful control of cardiac output, arterial blood pressure (systolic and diastolic pressures integrated to derive mean arterial pressure), and systemic vascular resistance, thereby maintaining blood perfusion through... 

A. Excessive administration of pilocarpine can cause it to enter the circulatory system, activate endothelial muscarinic receptors, and produce a fall in blood pressure. This will activate sympathetic re-... 

Guanethidine reduces blood pressure by its ability to diminish vascular tone both the arterial and venous sides of the circulatory system are involved. The resulting venous pooling contributes to orthostatic hypotension, a prominent feature of guanethidine treatment. The reduction in blood pressure is more prominent when the patient is standing than recumbent. 

The circulatory system of fish is also unique structurally and functionally. Structurally, the membranous nature of the vasculature makes for a friable high-capacitance system under low pressure. Low blood flows result in somewhat longer distributional phases for many drugs. Processes such as heart rate and stroke volume that influence drug distribution are themselves influenced by external factors such as temperature and stress. In addition, total plasma protein content differs in fish as compared to mammals. Total plasma protein in the trout and flounder is approximately one-half that of mammals such as dogs and cats. For many compounds protein binding is considerably lower in fish than their mammalian counterparts (19, 20). 

Hypertension drugs. Because amphetamines stimulate the circulatory system and raise blood pressure, they can inhibit the effect of drugs used to lower blood pressure. 

Example. What would be the pressure drop per unit length for blood (a dispersion of red blood cells in plasma), flowing in an artery which has an internal diameter of 1 mm, in an animal s circulatory system at 37 °C ... 

ATP is also the free energy currency for the contraction of muscles (Table 6-1). The ATP-driven contraction of the muscles surrounding the left ventricle of the human heart can increase the blood pressure within it by 20 kPa (0.2 bar or 150 mm Hg). This increases the chemical potential of the water in the blood (i.e., the VWP term), which causes the blood to flow out to the aorta and then to the rest of the circulatory system toward lower hydrostatic pressures. Pressure-driven flow is an efficient way to move fluids for example, it takes only 0.02 kJ of Gibbs free energy to increase the pressure of 10-3 m3 (1 liter) of water by 20 kPa. In particular, in the present case we note that... 

Gastrointestinal system Anorexia Nausea Vomiting Constipation Dry mouth Respiratory system Bronchospasm Cough suppression Respiratory depression Cardiovascular system Palpitations Changes in pulse rate Changes in blood pressure Orthostatic hypotension Circulatory depression Genitourinary system Reduced libido Urinary retention or hesitancy Oliguria... 

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