blood-vessel
Carries life's current
A blood-vessel is a tube that carries blood through the body—an artery, vein, or capillary.
The term appears in both technical and everyday contexts: Exercise dilates the blood vessels, a burst blood vessel in his eye.
The hyphenated spelling is less common than the two-word form blood vessel.
Oxygen-rich blood conduit
- veinVessel toward heart
- capillarySmallest blood vessel
- aortaChief arterial trunk
- arterioleSmallest arterial branch
venule · endothelium · lumen · vasculature · tunica · intima · smooth muscle · valve
Arterial plaque accumulation disease
- thrombosisClot forming in vessel
- embolismObstruction in blood vessel
- aneurysmArterial wall bulge
- stenosisAbnormal bodily narrowing
ischemia · plaque · occlusion · varicose · hemorrhage · stroke · infarction · claudication
Fluid delivery to tissue
- oxygenationAdding breathable gas
- pulseArterial blood throb
- vasoconstrictionArterial walls contracting inward
- vasodilationRelaxation of vessel walls
cardiac output · arterial · carbon dioxide · gas exchange · systemic · peripheral · collateral · shunt
Procedure to widen vessels
- stentImplanted tube for blockages
- bypassRoute that skirts obstacles
- anticoagulantSubstance preventing blood clots
- statinCholesterol-lowering pharmaceutical
embolization · sclerotherapy · angiogram · catheterization · balloon · graft · phlebotomy · antihypertensive
artery
Oxygen-rich blood conduit
arteriole · venule · endothelium · lumen · vasculature · tunica · intima · smooth muscle · valve · bifurcation
atherosclerosis
Arterial plaque accumulation disease
- thrombosisClot forming in vessel
- embolismObstruction in blood vessel
- aneurysmArterial wall bulge
stenosis · ischemia · plaque · occlusion · varicose · hemorrhage · stroke · infarction · claudication · vasculitis
perfusion
Fluid delivery to tissue
- oxygenationAdding breathable gas
- pulseArterial blood throb
- vasoconstrictionArterial walls contracting inward
vasodilation · cardiac output · arterial · carbon dioxide · gas exchange · systemic · peripheral · collateral · shunt · resistance
angioplasty
Procedure to widen vessels
- stentImplanted tube for blockages
- bypassRoute that skirts obstacles
- anticoagulantSubstance preventing blood clots
statin · embolization · sclerotherapy · angiogram · catheterization · balloon · graft · phlebotomy · antihypertensive · vasodilator