Biomedical Engineering Vascular Resistance of the Heart

Questions: By consulting an appropriate text or on-line resource, obtain relevant data and hence estimate the vascular resistance of the following organs:1) The heart (i.e. the coronary circulation) 2) The brain 3) One kidney 4) Both kidneys 5) The liver Answers 1. Vascular resistance of the heart : The circulation of the blood in the blood vessel of the heart muscle is called coronary circulation. The role of coronary artery is to deliver oxygen rich blood to the heart muscle. To remove the blood which are deoxygenated is the role of cardiac vein. The coronary arteries are compressed by heart muscle during systole (Chilian, 2012). So the blood flow is more to left ventricle during diastole and less during systole. During systole blood flow of coronary to the right side is not affected. 2. Vascular resistance of a brain: The intracranial pressure (IPC) is increase by increasing the volume of its constituents. For increased ICP cerebrospinal fluid produces more compensation. The blood supply from vertebral arteries and internal carotid is received by the brain. Whole amount of blood of brain is very small. It is contained in the pial veins and venous sinuses. 3. Vascular resistance of one kidney: Left and right renal artery enter into the kidney. The blood present in kidney less than 0.5% of total body mass (Evans, Stevenson and Anderson, 2000). 4. Vascular resistance of both kidneys: The blood is received by the kidneys from the renal arteries. And arteries pass into the kidneys from the abdominal aorta. There are several branches in the arteries within the kidney tissues. The largest vein is inferior vena cava. It supplies the blood to heart. 22% of the cardiac out put is received by the kidneys. 5. Vascular resistance of liver: The two blood supply sources present in the liver. Oxygeneted blood is delivered by the hepatic artery. Venous blood is collected by the portal veins. References: Chilian, W. (2012).Coronary circulation. San Rafael: Morgan Claypool. Evans, R., Stevenson, K. and Anderson, W. (2000).The renal circulation. Stamford, Conn.: JAI Press.