Blood Pressure Question

[emilyRNwannabe]

if you increase resistance in a blood vessel = blood flow decreases

so then what will happen to blood pressure? increase or decrese?

[markisrn]

The body compensates and the blood pressure increases. Increasing resistence, which can be the case where there is narrowing and loss of elastiscity in the arteries. The body then realizes that it is not oxygenating the tissues and increases the heart rate. Not to mention the fact that the narrower blood vessels act like a garden hose with relationship to pressure if you put a narrow nozzle on the end of the hose, causing the water to shoot out harder, thus the smaller opening in the vessel causes the blood to "shoot" harder as well

[sh1901]

Increase in resistance (constriction) = increased blood pressure

Decrease in resistance (dilation) = decreased blood pressure

[emilyRNwannabe]

thanks guys. very helpful. :redbeathe

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

blood pressure consists of two main components:

1. cardiac output
   
   • heart rate - beats per minute :redbeathe
     
   • stroke volume - amount of blood pumped per beat
     

[*]peripheral resistance - resistance of the arteries against the flow of blood through them

increasing any one of the above factors increases the blood pressure and vice versa.