In: Anatomy and Physiology
Systemic Driving Pressure and Pulmonic Driving Pressure are very different. List the driving pressures for each circuit, and explain why the difference is important.
Pulmonic driving pressure (Pulmonary artery ) is much lower than that of systemic driving pressure ( pressure in aorta )
Systemic circulation ( circulation of blood to different body parts) has to work to supply for longer distance. It requires much more pressure.
Whereas Pulmonary circulation is short , from heart to lungs and vice versa.
Pulmonary arterioles have less smooth muscles than systemic arterioles,thus Pulmonary arterioles produce less resistance than systemic arterioles .
Also , Pulmonary veins have very less smooth and they run freely in lung parenchyma , when the lungs expand , they also pull the walls of the vein and cause vasodilation ( pressure in vessels drop ).
This pressure difference is important because :
If there is Pulmonary hypertension it will cause right heart failure , (cor pulmonale) , and cause systemic edema and ultimately left heart failure.
So for normal physiology pressure in Pulmonary circulation should be low