Circulatory system: Types of blood vessels based on Hemodynamic principles; Windkessel effect скачать в хорошем качестве

Circulatory system: Types of blood vessels based on Hemodynamic principles; Windkessel effect

Windkessel Effect: The large elastic arteries (windkessel vessels) include the aorta and its main branches, such as carotid, iliac and axillary arteries. These vessels contain elastic tissue in their walls in abundance which provides them two properties of distensibility and elastic recoil. The effect of these two properties of the elastic arteries on pressure and flow of blood is: DISTENSIBILITY As we know, the heart acts as a pump and ejects about 70 mL of blood into the aorta with each systole. The distensibility (compliance) of the elastic arteries allows them to accommodate the stroke volume of heart with only a moderate increase in pressure (from 80 mm Hg to 120 mm Hg). Due to distension of these vessels, a part of energy released from the heart is stored as the potential energy in the wall of aorta. ELASTIC RECOIL During diastole, the stretched elastic wall of the aorta recoils and the potential energy stored in the wall is released onto the blood. This causes the blood to flow during diastole also, in this way the pressure in the aorta does not fall below 80 mm Hg. In other words, the elastic recoil of big arteries acts as a subsidiary pump for a continuous blood flow. This recoil effect is called windkessel effect. Windkessel is a German word meaning air chamber.