Lec 12 - Veins and Circulation

Vocabulary flashcards covering the components of the cardiovascular system, the properties of veins, and the specific venous pathways of the head, limbs, and abdominal organs.

Cardiovascular system

A system consisting of a fluid (blood), a muscular pump (the heart), and a series of conduits (blood vessels).

Capacitance vessels

A term for veins because they are expandable and allow blood to accumulate in them.

One-way valves

Structures in the veins that prevent the backflow of blood.

Frank–Starling Law

A property of cardiac muscle cells where they contract more forcefully if stretched by an increase in the volume of returning blood, thereby increasing cardiac output.

Superior Vena Cava (SVC)

The vessel that receives blood from the tissues and organs of the head, neck, chest, shoulders, and upper limbs; formed by the merger of the left and right brachiocephalic veins.

Dural Sinuses

A network including the superior and inferior sagittal, petrosal, occipital, transverse, and straight sinuses that receives blood from superficial cerebral veins and small veins of the brain stem.

Great cerebral vein

A cerebral vein that drains blood into the straight sinus.

Vertebral Veins

Veins that empty into the brachiocephalic veins of the chest.

External jugular vein

The vein into which the temporal and maxillary veins drain.

Internal jugular vein

The vein into which the facial vein drains.

Palmar venous arches

Interconnected networks formed by digital veins; the superficial arch empties into the cephalic, median antebrachial, basilic, and median cubital veins.

Brachial vein

A vein formed by the fusion of the radial and ulnar veins above the elbow; it merges with the basilic vein to become the axillary vein.

Subclavian vein

Formed by the joining of the cephalic and axillary veins.

Brachiocephalic vein

Formed by the merger of the subclavian, external jugular, and internal jugular veins; it receives blood from the vertebral and internal thoracic veins.

Azygos and hemiazygos veins

Veins that receive blood from the intercostal veins, esophageal veins, and veins of other mediastinal structures.

Inferior Vena Cava (IVC)

The vessel that collects blood from organs inferior to the diaphragm; formed by the merger of the right and left common iliac veins.

Popliteal vein

Formed by the joining of the anterior tibial, posterior tibial, and fibular veins; it also receives blood from the small saphenous vein.

Great saphenous vein

A superficial vein that collects blood from the dorsal venous arch and drains into the femoral vein.

External iliac vein

The vessel the femoral vein becomes after it enters the pelvic cavity; it joins with the internal iliac vein.

Common iliac veins

Veins formed by the joining of the internal and external iliac veins.

Abdominal IVC Tributaries

The lumbar, gonadal, hepatic, renal, suprarenal, and phrenic veins.

Hepatic Portal Vein

A vessel that connects two capillary beds and delivers nutrient-laden blood from digestive organs to liver sinusoids for processing.

Inferior mesenteric vein

A tributary of the hepatic portal vein that drains part of the large intestine.

Splenic vein

A tributary of the hepatic portal vein that drains the spleen, part of the stomach, and the pancreas.

Superior mesenteric vein

A tributary of the hepatic portal vein that drains part of the stomach, the small intestine, and part of the large intestine.