About Arteries
How strong are the blood vessels, how long is life. Today, please follow the pace of the science commissioner, from the heart, down the “flow”, to know the main arteries of the human body.
I. Systemic arteries
Thoracic arteries
After the arterial blood comes out of the heart, the first large blood vessel that flows through is the ascending aorta. Since the direction of this section of the aorta is upward, it is named “ascending aorta”. The ascending aorta is the closest vessel to the heart and is subject to the greatest pressure and has the thickest lumen. Two smaller vessels emanate from the root of the ascending aorta. Don’t underestimate these two small vessels, they are the “big name” coronary arteries. Like other tissues and organs in the body, the heart also needs to replenish oxygen and nutrients and eliminate metabolic waste, which is done by the coronary arteries. The heart is the body’s “engine”, once the nutrition supply can not keep up, the “engine” will “idle”, the entire blood circulation system will be impaired, or even come to a halt.
Thoracic aorta
The ascending aorta continues to move forward, but the direction begins to adjust, gradually turning to the left rear, and begins to slowly face downward, eventually completing a “magnificent turn” (180° big turn) in the upper chest. This “turn” phase is shaped like an “arch”, so this section of the blood vessel is also known as the “aortic arch”. After the “turn” is completed, it enters the descending aortic segment. The main branches from the descending aorta are several pairs of small intercostal arteries, which are important for the blood supply to the spinal cord.
II. Coronary arteries
Head, neck and upper limb arteries
From the right to the left of the aortic arch, three branch arteries, namely, the unnamed artery, the left common carotid artery and the left subclavian artery, are issued in turn, commonly known as the “three hairs”.
The common carotid artery ascends along the sides of the trachea to the level of the laryngeal node, where it divides into the internal and external carotid arteries. This bifurcation is superficial, and when we twist the neck to one side, we can feel a long muscle on the opposite side of the neck called the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The pulsation of the bifurcation of the common carotid artery can be clearly palpated at the anterior edge of this muscle. The internal carotid artery is primarily responsible for the blood supply to the brain, while the external carotid artery supplies blood to the head and facial organs other than the brain. Since the head and facial tissues are the major users of blood in the body, the blood flow of the carotid artery is very high.
Head, Neck and Upper Extremity Arteries
The subclavian artery is mainly responsible for the blood supply to the upper extremities. It also emanates from the left and right vertebral arteries in the neck and enters the cranial cavity to supply the back two fifths of the brain. Therefore, the status of the subclavian artery is “not to be underestimated”. After the blood comes out of the subclavian artery, it passes through the axillary artery, brachial artery, radial artery (ulnar artery), finger artery, etc., and finally reaches the end of the fingers. Among the arteries of the upper extremity, there is nothing more familiar than the radial artery at the wrist joint, which is not only the touching area where we usually count the number of pulses, but also where the “pulse cutting” is done in Chinese medicine. As one of the most important diagnostic tools in Chinese medicine, experienced herbalists can gain insight into the changes of the human body based on the pulse of the radial artery. Effects
Abdominal artery
The blood flow continues down through the descending aorta, crosses the diaphragm, and enters the abdominal aorta, which is responsible for the blood supply to the abdominal organs.
Abdominal artery
The first branch artery from the abdominal aorta is the “abdominal trunk”. The name alone tells us that this vessel is “dominant” enough – the “backbone” responsible for the blood supply to the abdominal cavity! The abdominal trunk then sends out the left gastric artery, the splenic artery, the common hepatic artery and other next-level branches to directly supply blood to the stomach, spleen, liver, pancreas and other parenchymal organs in the abdominal cavity. Next, the abdominal aorta then gives rise to the main branches of arteries such as the superior mesenteric artery, bilateral renal arteries, and inferior mesenteric artery. The superior and inferior mesenteric arteries are mainly responsible for the blood supply to the small and large intestines, and are important for maintaining the normal function of the digestive tract.
The kidneys play an absolutely important role in the metabolic process of the body. The kidneys are the place where most of the metabolic waste is excreted, which is the origin of its not-so-elegant nickname “sewer”. And the renal artery is responsible for, mainly “detoxification” burden. Through the renal artery, about 2,000 liters of blood enter the kidneys every day, and the metabolic products of the body, such as excess water, electrolytes, as well as creatinine, urea and other “waste” is continuously discharged from the body. In addition to “drainage”, the renal artery also has the function of blood pressure regulation.
3. Renal vessels
Pelvic and lower limb arteries
After saying goodbye to the abdominal trunk, the superior and inferior mesenteric arteries and the renal artery, the abdominal aorta has also come to an end. At the entrance of the pelvis (belly button position), the abdominal aorta divides in two to form the left and right common iliac arteries, which continue to descend. The common iliac artery divides into the internal iliac artery, which supplies the genital organs and the buttocks, and the main trunk transitions into the external iliac artery, which “burrows” under the inguinal ligament at the base of the thigh and becomes the common femoral artery. At this point, the arterial trunk has left the trunk portion (thoracic, abdominal and pelvic cavities) and entered the lower extremities.
Pelvic and lower extremity arteries
At this point, the diameter of the vessel has narrowed from 2 to 3 cm (ascending aorta) when it first exits the heart to less than 1 cm. Despite this significant “thinning”, the common femoral artery still “faithfully” performs the role of delivering “supplies” to the lower extremities. The common femoral artery is divided into the deep femoral artery and the superficial femoral artery at the root of the thigh. The deep femoral artery is mainly responsible for supplying blood to the tissues of the thigh, while the superficial femoral artery continues its “trek” down to the N artery near the knee, and bifurcates into the anterior tibial artery, posterior tibial artery and peroneal artery at the calf, to the dorsalis pedis artery, toe artery and other peripheral arteries in the foot.
Perhaps the previous journey was too “exciting”, the arteries of the lower extremity appeared to be a bit “difficult”, not only the lumen gradually reduced, blood flow gradually reduced, coupled with walking in the “embrace” of many muscle groups in the lower extremity “In addition, walking in the embrace of many muscle groups in the lower limbs, “bump” caused by muscle and ligament contraction is inevitable. As a result, the arteries of the lower extremities do not have a smooth “road” and are at high risk of arterial stenosis and occlusion.