Lecture Notes: Veins and Arteries Overview

Introduction to Arteries

• Purpose of Arteries: Transport oxygenated blood from the heart to various body parts via the aorta.
• Pathway: Arteries → smaller vessels called arterioles.
• Importance: Critical for delivering oxygen necessary for muscle function and overall body operation.
• Conditions:
  • Diabetes can impair blood flow leading to ischemia, potentially causing tissue death.
  • Peripheral Neuropathy: Nerve damage in diabetes leading to poor sensation and potential infections.

Artery-Related Conditions

• Heart Attacks: Caused by plaques/clots in arteries supplying heart muscle, leading to tissue death.
• Brain Issues: Similar clots can cause strokes by restricting blood flow to the brain.

Introduction to Veins

• Purpose of Veins: Return deoxygenated blood back to the heart.
• Chronic Venous Insufficiency: Condition where veins fail to return blood efficiently, causing pooling.
• Pathway: Venules → veins → heart.

Important Veins

• Upper Extremity Veins:
  • Superior Vena Cava: Major vein returning blood to the heart from arms and head.
  • Jugular Veins: External (drains face/neck) and internal (drains brain).
  • Subclavian Vein: Feeds into superior vena cava.
  • Superficial veins: Basilic and cephalic veins feed into axillary vein.
  • Deep veins: Brachial, radial, and ulnar veins.

Drawing Veins

• General Structure: Veins mimic arteries in placement but function oppositely.
• Key Veins:
  • Brachiocephalic Veins: Analogous to arteries.
  • Vertebral Veins: Accompany vertebral arteries through cervical spine.

Lower Body Veins

• Inferior Vena Cava: Returns blood from lower body to the heart.
• Liver’s Role: Filters blood from GI tract via hepatic portal and hepatic veins.
• Superficial and Deep Veins:
  • Great Saphenous Vein: Superficial, feeds into femoral vein.
  • Femoral, Popliteal, and Tibial Veins: Deeper veins.
• Gonadal Veins: Route blood from gonads to either renal vein or directly to inferior vena cava.

Importance of Veins

• Overall Function: Necessity of returning deoxygenated blood to be re-oxygenated in lungs.
• Liver Functionality: Filters toxins from blood, crucial for maintaining metabolic balance.