Chapter 12

Aorta

Largest artery and blood vessels in your entire body. Takes blood out of the heart to the entire body

Arteriole(s)

small arteries

Arteriosclerosis

“hardening of the arteries”

Artery(ies)

Takes blood away from heart, thick walled, Round (due to high blood pressure) , Carry blood under high pressure, Carry blood high in oxygen *except pulmonary artery, Don not have valve in them, Aorta is the largest artery

Atherosclerosis

Crack build up within the artery walls causing hypertension form of arteriosclero

Atria

Small upper chambers of the heart that take blood from outside the heart

Blood Pressure

The force of blood against the walls of blood vessels, Measures as systolic over diastolic

Capillary(ies)

smallest of the blood vessels, where pick-up and delivery of nutrients and waste occur (O2 and CO2), Very little pressure

Cardiac Cycle

Everything that happens to the heart during a single heartbeat

Endocardium

Inner layers of heart

Epicardium

Outer layer of the heart

Myocardium

Middle layer of the heart - the muscle/meat of the organ

Pulse

The alternating expansion and recoil of an arterial wall is felt as a “pulse”

Sinoatrial (SA) node

Our natural pacemaker, found at the top of the right atrium, conducts an electrical impulse through the Purkinje fibers causing the ventricle to contract

Vein(s)

Takes blood towards the heart, thin walled, flat (due to low pressure), Carry blood under low pressure, Carry blood low in oxygen (except pulmonary vein), have valves in them, Vena cava is the largest vein

Vena Cava

Largest vein in your body and has two ends

Ventricle(s)

Larger lower chambers of the heart that takes blood from the atria and pumps it out of the heart

Venule(s)

small veins