Capillary: The Smallest of a Body's Blood Vessels
Capillary
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For other uses, see Capillary (disambiguation).
[pic]
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Blood flows from the heart to arteries, which branch and narrow into arterioles, and then narrow further still into capillaries. After the tissue has been perfused, capillaries branch and widen to become venules and then widen more and connect to become veins, which return blood to the heart.
Capillaries (pronounced /ˈkæpəˌlɛri/) are the smallest of a body 's blood vessels and are part of the microcirculation. They are only 1 cell thick. These microvessels, measuring 5-10 μm in diameter, connect arterioles and venules, and enable the exchange of water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and many other nutrient and waste chemical substances between blood and surrounding tissues.[1]
|Contents |
|[hide] |
|1 Anatomy |
|1.1 Types |
|2 Physiology |
|3 The variables |
|4 History |
|5 See also |
|6 References |
|7 External links |
[pic][edit] Anatomy
Blood flows from the heart to the arteries, which branch and narrow into the arterioles, and then branch further still into the capillaries. After the tissue has been perfused, capillaries join and widen to become venules and then widen more to become veins, which return blood to the heart.
Capillaries do not function on their own. The "capillary bed" is an interweaving network of capillaries supplying an organ. The more metabolically active the cells, the more capillaries they will require to supply nutrients and carry away waste products.
A capillary bed can consist of two types
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Capillary (disambiguation).
[pic]
[pic]
Blood flows from the heart to arteries, which branch and narrow into arterioles, and then narrow further still into capillaries. After the tissue has been perfused, capillaries branch and widen to become venules and then widen more and connect to become veins, which return blood to the heart.
Capillaries (pronounced /ˈkæpəˌlɛri/) are the smallest of a body 's blood vessels and are part of the microcirculation. They are only 1 cell thick. These microvessels, measuring 5-10 μm in diameter, connect arterioles and venules, and enable the exchange of water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and many other nutrient and waste chemical substances between blood and surrounding tissues.[1]
|Contents |
|[hide] |
|1 Anatomy |
|1.1 Types |
|2 Physiology |
|3 The variables |
|4 History |
|5 See also |
|6 References |
|7 External links |
[pic][edit] Anatomy
Blood flows from the heart to the arteries, which branch and narrow into the arterioles, and then branch further still into the capillaries. After the tissue has been perfused, capillaries join and widen to become venules and then widen more to become veins, which return blood to the heart.
Capillaries do not function on their own. The "capillary bed" is an interweaving network of capillaries supplying an organ. The more metabolically active the cells, the more capillaries they will require to supply nutrients and carry away waste products.
A capillary bed can consist of two types
References: 1. ^ From the Ancient Greek ἀρτηρία "windpipe, artery". 2. ^ MOMMA, UR; Jean Hopkins, Charles William McLaughlin, Susan Johnson, Maryanna Quon Warner, David LaHart, Jill D. Wright (1993). Human Biology and Health. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-981176-1. 3. ^ Oxford English Dictionary. 4. ^ Shakespeare, William. Hamlet Complete, Authoritative Text with Biographical and Historical Contexts, Critical History, and Essays from Five Contemporary Critical Perspectives. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martins Press, 1994. pg. 50.