Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Understanding MICROCIRCULATION

MICROCIRCULATION

What is microcirculation?
First of all, what is blood circulation?
The circulation can be pictured as blood travelling through the body in blood vessels. On average, we have about 5 litres of blood travelling through our circulatory system, delivering oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body. On its return route to the heart, the blood picks up carbon dioxide and waste products to be excreted. Arteries carry blood away from the heart, in large volume and under high pressure.
Smaller arteries branching off are called arterioles and eventually lead to capillaries. Capillaries are the tiniest of our blood vessels. Being small allows them to penetrate into every corner of the body, bringing oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and single cells. Blood in the capillaries feeds the tissues before travelling away from tissue and organs, flowing into small veins called venules and then into larger veins carrying blood back to the heart.

Microcirculation is the vascular network lying between the arterioles and the venules, including capillaries, as well as the flow of blood through this network. Or in other words:
Microcirculation is the link between blood and single cell. By this link, tissue and single cells are supplied
with oxygen and nutrients.

The importance of microcirculation:
A better supply of blood and therefore oxygen and nutrients to a cell means:
The cell functions better;▼The organ works better;▼All organs work better;▼The whole organism works better;▼Result: A person feels and is healthier!N

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