Blood and Vascular Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering cardiovascular physiology, capillary types, blood components, pressure dynamics, and hematology terms based on the lecture notes.

Autorhythmic cells

Cells that initiate and conduct the action potentials responsible for contraction of working cells.

Automaticity

The ability of the heart to contract rhythmically as a result of action potentials that it generates by itself.

Arteries

Blood vessels that transport blood from the heart to organs.

Arterioles

Major resistance vessels that control the amount of blood that flows through each organ.

Capillaries

Vessels where materials are exchanged between blood and tissue cells.

Venules

Smaller veins that bring blood back to large veins.

Veins

Vessels that return blood to the heart and serve as blood reservoirs.

Arterial pressure

Pressure that fluctuates in relation to ventricular systole.

Mean arterial pressure

The main driving force for blood flow.

Vasodilation

Enlargement in circumference and radius of a vessel.

Vasoconstriction

Narrowing of a vessel.

Continuous Capillaries

Capillaries found in most vascularized tissues where tight junctions are fairly loose to allow for water and other smaller substances to move freely (blood-brain barrier).

Fenestrated capillaries

Capillaries with small holes that can be found surrounding the small intestine and kidneys as well as many endocrine sites.

Sinusoid capillaries

Capillaries found in the liver, spleen, bone marrow, lymph nodes, and endocrine glands that have an incomplete basement membrane and intercellular gaps.

Interstitial fluid

Passive intermediary between blood and cells that makes up $80\%$ of extracellular fluid (ECF).

Venous Return

Mechanism in which skeletal muscles contribute to pumping blood back towards the heart when it pools in the lower limbs.

Systolic Pressure

Pressure against arterial walls resulting from ejection of blood from ventricles.

Diastolic Pressure

Arterial pressure of blood during relaxation (baseline pressure).

Cardiac Output

$$\text{heart rate} \times \text{stroke volume}$$

Stroke Volume

The volume of blood pumped out by each ventricle per heart beat.

Norepinephrine

A substance that produces generalized vasoconstriction.

Epinephrine

A substance that reinforces local vasodilatory mechanisms in tissues.

Vasopression

Also known as ADH; maintains water balance.

Angiotensin II

A substance that regulates salt balance.

Baroreceptor Reflex

A fast-acting negative feedback loop in the body that helps maintain stable blood pressure.

Baroreceptors in the Heart

Receptors found in the carotid artery and aorta that send signals to the brain which then change parasympathetic and sympathetic activity of the heart.

Hematocrit

Measurements of bloods content by centrifuge.

Buffy Coat

The layer in centrifuged blood composed of platelets and leukocytes.

Erythrocytes

Red Blood Cells that hold Hemoglobin and are produced in bone marrow.

Plasma

Transport medium for inorganic and organic substances.

Plasma Proteins

Proteins in the blood plasma consisting of Albumin, Globulins, and Fibrinogen.

Albumin

Plasma protein that binds to proteins, fatty acids, hormones, and other molecules that are not soluble in blood to transport them around the body; critical for maintaining osmotic balance as it binds $Na^+$ ions.

Globulins

Carriers for iron, lipids, and fat soluble vitamins; includes Gamma-Globulins, which are antibodies produced by plasma cells.

Fibrinogen

A blood clotting factor.

Polycythemia

A condition characterized by too many circulating red blood cells and thus an elevated hematocrit.

Primary Polycythemia

Polycythemia resulting from a marrow abnormality.

Secondary Polycythemia

Polycythemia resulting from increased erythropoietin.

Anemia

A condition characterized by too few red blood cells.

Hemoglobin

Molecule that has $4$ globulins, $4$ iron molecules, and holds $4$ $O_2$ in total.

Erythropoietin

A hormone produced mainly by the kidneys that tells your bone marrow to make more red blood cells.

Hemolytic disease of the Newborn

A condition in which the mother's body won't make anti-Rh antibodies without prior exposure.

Thrombocytes

Small cell fragments of megakaryocyte that remain in circulation for about $10$ days.

Thrombopoietin

A substance that increases platelet production.

Plasmin

An enzyme that dissolves clots.