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Vascular resistance (blood flow)

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  • site of greatest resistance to blood flow is the arterioles - it is across the arterioles that the greatest drop in blood pressure occurs.
  • other factors:
    • if there is a constant perfusion pressure then the blood flow is inversely proportional to the peripheral resistance
    • resistance to flow is dependent on: diameter of the vessel, the length and the viscosity of the perfusing fluid. The resistance is related to the diameter by: resistance is proportional to diameter ^4 e.g. if the diameter is reduced by 1/2 then resistance is increased by 16 x
    • resistance is increased if blood flow is turbulent

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