The cardiovascular system is the most important system in our body. This system is what keeps us alive. Beating on average 30 billion times a year, our heart is never able to stop and take a break. With every beat of our heart, the cardiovascular system moves blood, gases, nutrients, and hormones throughout the intricate vasculature of our bodies. An adult body contains over 60,000 miles of vessels, which can wrap around the world two and a half times. The vessel branching off of the heart is largest artery in our body and is known as the aorta. The aorta supplies oxygenated blood to our body. The aorta runs along the midline of our body and has many other vessels that stem from it to deliver the blood to a specific location. The aorta has several different names, depending on the location in the body. As it comes off of the heart at the left ventricle it is called the ascending aorta. It is located in the anterior mediastinum and is approximately three to five centimeters wide. In the superior mediastinum, at the peak of the aorta, it turns to resemble and upside down U and become the aortic arch. As it pass behind the heart and starts to go down into the thoracic cavity it becomes the descending aorta, more specifically, the thoracic aorta. The diameter of the thoracic aorta is about two and a half centimeters wide. Once the aorta reaches the diaphragm and passes into the abdomen it converts the abdominal aorta. The abdominal aorta is about two centimeters wide. The thoracic aorta runs for about twenty centimeter and the abdominal aorta extends for about fifteen centimeters long.
The aorta has three tissue layers, the intima, the media, and the adventitia. The intima is the inner most, thin layer. It is compose...
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...uld be aware of how fatal this can be if not treated in time. There is no way to prevent this disease, but there are steps that can be taken to lower the risk of getting it; do not smoke, stay health, and have regular screenings.
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Anomalous systemic arterial supply to the lungs has been extensively described in association with other congenital abnormalities such as bronchopulmonary sequestration and hypogenetic lung syndrome (scimitar syndrome). In 1946, Pryce introduced the term ‘sequestration’ to describe congenital abnormalities characterised by an anomalous systemic arterial supply to the lung and atresia or hypoplasia of the pulmonary artery. Sequestration was defined by Pryce as a “disconnected (dislocated, ectopic) bronchopulmonary mass or cyst with an anomalous systemic blood supply”.
•Tunica Intima - the inner layer of arteries and veins. In arteries this layer is composed of an elastic membrane lining and smooth e...
The aorta is the largest artery in the body, responsible for the transfer of oxygenated blood from the heart to every organ of the body. Understandably, any disruption in the integrity of the aorta could have catastrophic consequences. An aortic dissection occurs when a tear in the inner layer of the aorta develops. As the tear expands, blood will eventually begin to spill out of the tear and continue down the aorta in between the inner layer and outer layer. As the inner and outer layers begin to separate from each other, they develop into what is called a true and false lumen. An aorta can dissect in various ways. Those different types of dissection are then classified as Type A, B and Type I through III. Type A involves the ascending aorta. Type B does not involve the ascending aorta2. Type I involves the entire aorta, Type II involves only the ascending aorta, and Type III originates in the descending aorta and extends distally and does not involve the ascending aorta or arch.2 Dissections that originate in the descending aorta and then progressively dissect proximally are still considered Type III.
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aortic valve and into the aorta. Once in the aorta, the blood gets distributed throughout
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