Arterial pressure
Arterial Pressure
Arterial pressure (pronounced: ar-TEER-ee-al PRESS-shur) is a term used in medicine to describe the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of arteries. It is one of the principal vital signs and its regulation is crucial for the body's homeostasis.
Etymology
The term "arterial pressure" is derived from the Greek words "arteria", which means 'windpipe, artery', and "pressure", which comes from the Latin "pressura", meaning 'action of pressing'.
Measurement
Arterial pressure is most commonly measured via a sphygmomanometer, which historically used the height of a column of mercury to reflect the circulating pressure. Arterial pressure is usually expressed in terms of the systolic pressure (maximum during one heartbeat) over diastolic pressure (minimum in between two heartbeats) and is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).
Factors affecting arterial pressure
Several factors can affect arterial pressure, including cardiac output, blood volume, blood viscosity, arterial elasticity, and the peripheral resistance offered by the small arterioles and capillaries.
Related terms
- Hypertension: A condition characterized by consistently high arterial pressure.
- Hypotension: A condition where the arterial pressure is abnormally low.
- Pulse pressure: The difference between the systolic and diastolic pressure readings.
- Mean arterial pressure: A calculated "average" pressure in an individual's arteries during a single cardiac cycle.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Arterial pressure
- Wikipedia's article - Arterial pressure
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