What is the main function of the arteries?

What is the main function of the arteries?

Arteries. Arteries carry blood away from the heart. Pulmonary arteries transport blood that has a low oxygen content from the right ventricle to the lungs. Systemic arteries transport oxygenated blood from the left ventricle to the body tissues.

What are the arteries and what do they do?

The arteries (red) carry oxygen and nutrients away from your heart, to your body’s tissues. The veins (blue) take oxygen-poor blood back to the heart. Arteries begin with the aorta, the large artery leaving the heart. They carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to all of the body’s tissues.

What happens when arteries are damaged?

Arteries also carry blood and oxygen to organs like your eyes, kidneys, and brain. If high blood pressure damages those arteries, it can lead to vision loss, kidney disease, stroke, and a higher risk of dementia. High blood pressure also makes your heart work harder.

Arteries carry blood away from the heart. Pulmonary arteries transport blood that has a low oxygen content from the right ventricle to the lungs. Systemic arteries transport oxygenated blood from the left ventricle to the body tissues.

What is the action of the arteries?

Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the tissues, except for pulmonary arteries, which carry blood to the lungs for oxygenation (usually veins carry deoxygenated blood to the heart but the pulmonary veins carry oxygenated blood as well).

What is an artery and its function?

The arteries are the blood vessels that deliver oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the tissues of the body. Each artery is a muscular tube lined by smooth tissue and has three layers: The intima, the inner layer lined by a smooth tissue called endothelium.

What happens when one of the arteries in the heart bursts?

Myocardial infarction (heart attack): A sudden blood clot in one of the arteries supplying blood to the heart. Cerebrovascular accident ( stroke ): A sudden blood clot in one of the arteries supplying blood to the brain. Strokes may also occur when one of the arteries in the brain bursts, causing bleeding.

Why are arteries so important to the human body?

The thick, strong walls of arteries make them able to resist the high pressures that exist near the heart. All of the major organs in the body have their own special kind of arteries which are uniquely structured to deliver the supplies needed.

Which is the main artery in the circulatory system?

Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart to the rest of the body. They are shaped like tubes and branch into arterioles to reach the organs and tissues. The pumping contractions of the heart propel the blood through the arteries. The main artery of the systemic circulation is the aorta.

Where does the blood go after it leaves the arterioles?

Arterioles connect to capillaries, which are the smallest blood vessels and are where the exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and waste occurs between the blood and the cells of the body. After this exchange occurs, the blood enters the venous system, where it travels back toward the heart.

What happens to the blood supply when an artery is blocked?

Sometimes, when arteries become completely blocked, a new blood supply develops around the blockage. This new blood supply, called collaterals, won’t deliver as much blood to your heart.

What happens to your body when your arteries become narrow?

If the arteries supplying the heart become narrow, blood flow can slow down or stop. This can cause chest pain (stable angina), shortness of breath, and other symptoms. Narrowed or blocked arteries may also cause problems in the intestines, kidneys, legs, and brain.

What happens when the hardening of the arteries occurs?

As the deposits harden and occlude the arterial lumen, blood flow to distant tissues decreases and a clot may become lodged, completely blocking the artery. Angina is a specific type of pain in the chest caused by inadequate blood flow through the blood vessels (coronary vessels) of the heart muscle (myocardium).

How does plaque affect the function of the arteries?

Blood travels through the hollow center of the arteries. If this hollow center becomes constricted due to overdevelopment of the muscle or the formation of plaques, it can raise blood pressure. Plaque also makes the arteries less flexible.