1. Blood Flow and Blood Vessels in the Cardiovascular System Nicole Bajier, Bryan Berg, Daniel Kim

2. Major Veins and Arteries Around the Heart Superior vena cava Inferior vena cava Aorta Pulmonary arteries (right pulmonary arteries and left pulmonary arteries) Pulmonary veins (right pulmonary veins and left pulmonary veins) Arteries carry blood away from heart. Veins carry blood towards the heart.

4. Flow of Blood Through Heart

5. Structure of Blood Vessels Walls of arteries and veins are in 3 main sections: - tunica interna or tunica intima: innermost layer of a blood vessel - tunica media: middle layer, it contains smooth muscle tissue in a framework of collagen and elastic fibers. - tunica externa or tunica adventita: forms a sheath of connective tissue around the vessel.

6. Arteries Arteries are in charge of transporting blood away from the heart. Elastic artery: large and extremely resilient vessels with diameters up to 2.5 cm. (examples: pulmonary trunk and aorta) Muscular artery: also known as medium-sized arteries or distribution arteries. They distribute blood to skeletal muscles and internal organs. (example: external carotid artery of the neck) Arteriole: small arterial branch that delivers blood to a capillary network. It is the smallest of arteries.

7. Capillaries Capillary bed: an interweaving network of capillaries supplying to an organ. Precapillary sphincter: a band of smooth muscles guarding the entrance of each capillary. Main Function: the exchange of molecules between blood and interstitial fluid.

8. Veins Veins are in charge of transporting blood from various parts of the body to the heart. There are three main types of veins: Venules: the smallest type of vein that resemble expanded capillaries. Medium-sized veins: comparable in size to the muscular arteries. Large veins: largest of the veins, it includes two venae cavae and their tributaries in the abdominopelvic and thoracic cavities.

10. Works Cited Essentials of anatomy & Physiology 4 th edition http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2412/2275511 879_b2132d25a5.jpg http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2412/2275511 879_b2132d25a5.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/com mons/a/ae/Circulation_of_Blood_Throug h_the_Heart.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/com mons/a/ae/Circulation_of_Blood_Throug h_the_Heart.jpg http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~uzwiak/AnatP hys/Blood_Vessels_files/image004.jpg http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~uzwiak/AnatP hys/Blood_Vessels_files/image004.jpg