Contents
Preface
................................................................................................................
vii
1
.
Historical Backgrounds and Book Contents
1.1 Discoveries of the Circulation
.....................................................................
1
1.2 Importance of the Vascular System
............................................................
7
1.3 Modern Concepts
........................................................................................
8
1.4 Book Contents
.............................................................................................
9
2
.
Vascular Biology. Structure and Function
2.1 Anatomical Organization of the Vasculature
............................................
14
2.1.1 The Circulatory System
...................................................................
14
2.1.2
The Heart
.........................................................................................
14
2.1.3 The Arteries
.....................................................................................
18
2.1.4TheVeins
.........................................................................................
18
2.1.5 The Microvasculature
......................................................................
19
2.2 Mechanical Properties of Blood Vessels
...................................................
20
2.2.1 Some Geometric Aspects of Blood Vessels
.....................................
20
2.2.2 Vascular Stiffness and Elastic Properties
.........................................
25
2.3 Functional Properties
of
Blood
.................................................................
30
2.3.1 Blood Plasma and Blood Gas
...........................................................
30
2.3.2 Oxygen Saturation Curves and Hemoglobin
....................................
31
2.3.3 Red Blood Cells. Hematocrit and Blood Volume
............................
33
2.4
Control
Aspects of the Vascular System
...................................................
35
2.4.1 Control of the Central Cardiovascular System
.................................
36
2.4.2 Functions
of
the Baroreceptors
........................................................
37
2.4.3 Arterial Chemoreceptors
..................................................................
39
3
.
Physical Concepts and Basic Fluid Mechanics
3.1 Basic Mechanics and Dimensional Analysis
............................................
41
Buckingham
.....................................................................................
41
3.1.1 Mass. Length and Time System and the Pi-Theorem of
