Question

How do you distinguish the different types of blood vessels? Compare artery, vein, and capillary. Think about what makes them similar and different. Examining the following blood smear photo, name the cells that are present.

Answer 1

The arteries, veins and capillaries, all are blood vessels but they have slightly different anatomical structure & respective functions. However, all of them perform the similar function of conducting of blood throughout body, arteries flow oxygenated blood from heart to the remaining blood vessels (except pulmonary artery) and have thickest tunica media layer.

Almost veins conduct deoxygenated blood from body organs to the heart excepting only pulmonary vein and they have less thicker vascular wall (tunica media). The capillaries are thinnest blood vessels made of mostly one or two layers thick vascular wall but specifically perform the function of nutrients & gaseous exchange between the body tissues & blood.

Name of the cells that appear in the blood smear are :

1. Platelets (small violet coloured)

2. Monocyte (largest cells with rounded nucleus & violet coloured)

3. Neutrophils (have lobed nucleus inside them & violet coloured)

4. Red blood cells (most numerous in t…

The arteries, veins and capillaries, all are blood vessels but they have slightly different anatomical structure & related functions. However, all of them perform the similar function of conducting blood throughout the body, arteries flow oxygenated blood from heart to the remaining blood vessels ( except pulmonary artery) and have thickest tunica media layer.