Anatomy and Physiology

Arteries
Arteries are a type of efferent vessel, responsible for carrying blood away from the heart.
Arteries are also referred to as "resistance vessels" due to their strong, muscular nature and
ability to withstand high blood pressure. Arteries, unlike veins, are able to remain rounded even
when empty.

This is the largest of all blood vessels and transports blood away from the left ventricle of the
heart where it then branches into smaller arteries.As the arteries devide further they become
smaller and smaller, until they are classed as arterioles. Arterioles continue to branch into smaller
and smaller vessels which, once they have decreased in size below 10 micrometers in diameter
are known ascapillaries.

The pulmonary artery, is classed as an artery as it carries blood away from the heart, however it
carries deoxygenated blood. The blood it carries has travelled around the body and back to the
heart where it is pumped, via the pulmonary artery, to the lungs to release waste products and
pick up more oxygen.

The artery walls consist of three layers:
Tunica Adventitia: This is the strong outer covering of arteries and veins which consists
of connective tissues, collagen and elastic fibres.
Tunica Media: This is the middle layer and consists of smooth muscle and elastic fibres.
This layer is thicker in arteries than veins.
Tunica Intima: This is the inner layer which is in direct contact with the blood flowing
through the artery. It consists of an elastic membrane and smooth endothelial cells. The
hollow centre through which blood flows is called the lumen.
Veins
Veins are a type of afferent vessel, responsible for carrying blood back to the heart. Veins are
also referred to as "capacitance vessels" due to their flaccid nature and ability to expand
significantly to accommodate higher volumes of blood. The flow of blood through the veins,
unlike the arteries which receive blood in pulses, is relatively steady and continuous.

There are five major classifications of veins; postcapillary venules, muscular venules, medium
veins, venous sinuses and large veins. Postcapillary venules are the smallest of the veins and
receive blood from the capillaries. Postcapillary venules are porous and capable of accepting
fluids from neighboring tissues. Muscular venules are larger than postcapillary venules and
receive their blood supply from the postcapillary venules. Medium veins are larger than the two
proceeding types of veins and contain some elastic tissue. Venous valves are often found in this
type of vein. Venous sinuses are even larger, yet contain thin walls and no muscular tissue.
Lastly, large veins contain smooth muscle tissue and are greater than 10 micrometers in
diameter.

Capillaries
Capillaries have very thin walls comprised only of endothelial cells, which allows substances to
move through the wall with ease. Capillaries are very small, measuring 5-10 micrometres in
width. However, the cross-sectional area of capillaries within an average size muscle would be
larger than that of the Aorta. This allows a fast and efficient transfer of oxygen-carrying red
blood cells to the site where they are needed.

Capillaries are the smallest of all blood vessels and form the connection
betweenveins and arteries. As arteries branch and divide into arterioles and continue to reduce
in size as they reach the muscle they become capillaries. Here the capillaries form a capillary
bed, which is a vast expanse of very small vessels forming a network throughout the muscle.
However, unlike veins and arteries, their main function is not transporting blood. They are
specially designed to allow the movement of substances, mainly gases Oxygen and Carbon
Dioxide into and out of the capillary.

Lymphatic vessels
The smallest lymphatic vessel is called a lymphatic capillary and these are blind ending vessels
consisting of endothelium with a highly perforated basal lamina. This means that lymphatic
capillaries are thinner and more permeable than their blood counterparts.Unlike the circulatory
system for blood the lymphatic system is open and does not have a central pump. Lymph flows
through the system in one direction.

The capillaries feed into larger vessels called lympathic vessels and these have smooth muscle
their walls and they pass through lymph nodes. These vessels eventually feed into two large
ducts, the thoracic and the tracheal, which empty into the jugular veins. The thoracic duct
empties into the veins of the left side while the tracheal to those on the right.

The smaller vessels generally travel with blood vessels and nerves. Valves in the vessels prevent
back flow and keep the flow of lymph unidirectional. As there is no central pump the movement
of lymph is largely dependant on skeletal muscular activity.

Due to their structure lymphatic capillaries are more permeable than vascular capillaries and this
mean that they can not only more effectively remove fluid from tissue but also take up large
molecules. This allows the lymphatic system to transport large proteins as well as chylomicrons
for the transport of fats. The interstitial fluid filtered into the lymphatic vessels is called lymph.
As the vessels pass through lymph nodes the lymph is surveyed by immune cells before
returning to the blood ensuring that antigens/pathogens from tissues are removed.