Question

a pulmonary bolus is a piece of blood clot, adipose tisse, or other substance that lodges somewhere in the pulmonary circuit.                                                    a. Henry has pulmonary embolus lodged in one of his pulmonary arterioles. trace the pathway of blood flow from his inferior vena cava to the pulmonary arterioles where the embolus is lodged.                     b.How will the embolus affect gas exchange in Henry's pulmonarycapillaries? be specific.

Answer 1

a.Inferior venacava brings impure blood from lower parts of the body in to the right atrium. From the right atrium, blood pumped in to right ventricle. Through pulmonary artery, blood reaches lungs. Pulmonary artery divides in to arterioles which further divide in to capillaries.

b. Embolus is a blood clot formed in some other region and moving to arteriole in the lung. Arterioles divide in to number of capillaries. These capillaries will run through the wall of the air sacs or alveoli where exchange of the gases occurs. If embolus occurred and lodged in arteriole it will block the path of blood in to alveoli. No exchange of gases occurs. This effects the circulation of O2 to tissues. Such a conditions can be dangerous as it is effecting the gas exchange in lungs. One arteriole supplies blood to many capillaries. So many capillaries will be effected here. They do not get blood and exchange of gases does not occur.