BME211 Week 1

- Biomechanics: The study of the mechanics of living organisms, focusing on how forces interact with the body’s structures.

- Cardiovascular Biomechanics: The study of the mechanical function and forces of the cardiovascular system, including the heart, blood vessels, and blood flow.

- Heart: A muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the body via the circulatory system.

- Valves: Structures in the heart that ensure one-way blood flow, preventing backflow between chambers.

- Diastole: The phase when the heart relaxes and fills with blood.

- Systole: The phase when the heart contracts and pumps blood out.

- Aorta: The largest artery in the body, carrying oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

- Arteries: Blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from the heart.

- Capillaries: Tiny blood vessels where gas, nutrient, and waste exchange occur between blood and tissues.

- Veins: Blood vessels that carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart.

- Vessel Structure:

- Intima: The innermost layer, in direct contact with blood.

- Media: The middle layer, mostly smooth muscle, controls vessel diameter.

- Adventitia: The outermost layer, providing structural support.

- Vessel Composition:

- Elastin: Provides elasticity, allowing vessels to stretch and recoil.

- Collagen: Provides strength and structure to the vessel walls.

- Blood Constituents:

- Red Blood Cells: Transport oxygen.

- White Blood Cells: Fight infections.

- Platelets: Help in blood clotting.

- Plasma: Liquid component that carries cells, nutrients, and waste.

- Aortic Endograft: A minimally invasive device used to reinforce a weakened aorta, commonly used in treating aneurysms.

- Angioplasty and Stenting: Procedures to open narrowed arteries using a balloon (angioplasty) and keep them open with a stent (a small mesh tube).