Vein

Many of our bodies' internal mechanisms take place without our awareness. Everyday our stomach digests our food, our lungs inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, and our kidneys filter our blood. Our internal organs and systems operate automatically, and it's possible that we don't think about our internal organs and systems for days at a time.

One major bodily system, however, can attract our attention more frequently because we can feel it working in specific areas of our body. Our pulse, the rhythmic pulsing of blood through our arteries, functions as a constant reminder that blood is coursing through every part of us at any given time. Our circulatory system, which includes the heart and blood vessels that transport blood across our bodies, includes our bloodstream. We will learn more about the vital vessels that return blood to the heart after it has circulated to our body parts in this article. Veins are the name for these boats.

A vein is an elastic blood vessel that transports blood to the heart from different parts of the body. Veins are part of the cardiovascular system, which circulates blood to provide the body's cells with nutrients. The venous system, in contrast to the high-pressure arterial system, is a low-pressure system that depends on muscle contractions to return blood to the heart. Vein problems can occur for a variety of reasons, the most common of which are a blood clot or a vein defect.

Deoxygenated blood that flows into human veins is collected in tiny blood vessels, known as capillaries. Capillaries are the body's tiniest blood vessels. Oxygen enters your tissues through the walls of your capillaries. Before entering your veins, carbon dioxide will pass into your capillaries from the tissue.

The venous system is a set of veins that work together to return deoxygenated blood to your heart.

Structure of Veins

As we understand vein anatomy, the walls are made up of 3 different layers of blood vessels veins:

• Tunica Externa: This is the thinnest and most outer layer of the vein wall. Connective tissue makes up most of it. The tunica externa also includes vasa vasorum, which are tiny blood vessels that supply blood to the vein walls.

• Tunica Media: The tunica media is the layer in the centre. It is very thin and has a lot of collagen in it. Collagen is a component that is found in connective tissue.

• Tunica Intima: This is the most inner layer. A single layer of endothelium cells and connective tissue makes up this structure. One-way valves can be found in this layer, particularly in the veins of your arms and legs. Blood cannot flow backwards through these valves.

Types of Veins

Vein blood vessels are often classified based on their position as well as any distinguishing features or functions.

Pulmonary and Systemic Veins

The systemic circuit and the pulmonary circuit are two separate circuits that circulate blood in your body. Veins are named for the circuits in which they are found:

• Pulmonary Veins: Deoxygenated blood is transported from your heart to your lungs through the pulmonary circuit. The pulmonary circuit returns oxygenated blood to your heart after it has been oxygenated by your lungs. The pulmonary veins are divided into four parts. They're unique in transporting oxygenated blood. The blood in all other veins is deoxygenated.

• Systemic Veins: The systemic circuit returns deoxygenated blood from the rest of the body to your heart, where it is oxygenated before entering the pulmonary circuit. The vast majority of veins are systemic veins.

Deep Veins and Superficial Veins

Systemic veins are again classified as:

• Deep Veins: These can be found in muscles and around the edges of bones. A one-way valve is normally present in the tunica intima of a deep vein to prevent blood from flowing backwards. To prevent blood from flowing forward, nearby muscles compress the deep vein.

• Superficial Veins: These are found under the skin's fatty layer. A one-way valve can also be found in the tunica intima of a superficial vein. They transfer blood more slowly than deep veins because they don't have a nearby muscle to compress them.

• Connecting Veins: Blood from the superficial veins is often guided into the deep veins by connecting veins, which are short veins. Blood will flow from your superficial veins to your deep veins through these veins' valves, but not the other way around.

[Image will be Uploaded Soon]

Layers of Blood Vessels

The tunica intima, tunica media, and tunica adventitia are the 3 layers of blood vessels that make up the vein wall.

The tunica intima is the vein's innermost layer. Flat epithelial cells make up this layer. These cells allow fluid to flow freely and are interspersed with valves to keep the flow in one direction. Cells and fluid are kept inside the vessel lumen by this continuous layer of epithelial cells. Any injury to the tunica intima can cause an inflammatory response, which can lead to platelet aggregation and thrombosis.

The tunica media, or middle layer, is the thickest part of the wall. The sympathetic nervous system innervates it, which is mainly smooth muscle. Vasospasm is caused by the sympathetic nervous system in response to changes in temperature or pain inside the vein.

The tunica adventitia is the vessel's outermost layer, which is made up of connective tissue and elastic fibres that give it strength. This layer can be the thickest in large veins. The sympathetic nerves and capillaries that supply blood to the vessel wall are found in the tunica adventitia.

When it comes to inserting central venous catheters, knowing what a safe vein looks like and how it works is crucial. Prior to insertion of a catheter, an ultrasound scan and examination of the veins is performed to determine which location provides the best/healthiest veins, allowing for the best patient outcomes. In order to choose the best access point, you must completely comprehend what a healthy vein looks like on the ultrasound screen while conducting the scan.

Layers of Arteries and Veins

Veins and arteries both have three layers to their walls:

• Outer: The outer layer of a blood vessel, including arteries and veins, is known as tunica adventitia (tunica externa). Collagen and elastic fibres make up most of it. These fibres enable veins and arteries to extend to a certain extent. They stretch enough to be flexible while remaining stable under blood flow control.

• Middle: The tunica media is the middle layer of the walls of arteries and veins. Smooth muscle and elastic fibres make up the structure. In arteries, this layer is thicker, and in veins, it is thinner.

• Inner: The tunica intima is the innermost layer of the blood vessel wall. Elastic fibres and collagen make up this layer. The quality varies depending on the blood vessel type.

Veins, unlike arteries, have valves. To keep blood flowing into the heart, veins need valves. In the legs and arms, these valves are especially important. They battle gravity to keep blood from flowing backwards. Arteries do not need valves because the heart's pressure prevents the blood from circulating in one direction.

Functions of Veins and Arteries 

The aim of veins is to return blood from the organs to the heart. Since veins hold the majority of blood volume (60 percent), they are also known as "capacitance vessels." In the systemic circulation, the left ventricle pumps oxygenated blood into the arteries to the body's tissues and organs, where nutrients and gases are exchanged at capillaries. Blood is channelled into arteries that merge with one another to form venules, which continue to converge and form the wider veins, after taking up cellular waste and carbon dioxide in capillaries. Veins transport deoxygenated blood to the right atrium of the heart, where it is transferred to the right ventricle and pumped to the lungs through the pulmonary arteries. The pulmonary veins return oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium, which empties into the left ventricle, bringing the blood supply cycle to an end.

The muscle pump, as well as the thoracic pump action of breathing during respiration, aid in the return of blood to the heart. Standing or sitting for an extended period of time may result in venous pooling shock, which causes low venous return. Although fainting is possible, baroreceptors in the aortic sinuses normally cause a baroreflex, in which angiotensin II and norepinephrine induce vasoconstriction and heart rate increases to restore blood flow. Fainting can also be caused by neurogenic and hypovolemic shock. The smooth muscles around the veins become slack in these situations, and the veins fill with the majority of the blood in the body, preventing blood from reaching the brain and resulting in unconsciousness. Jet pilots wear pressure suits to help keep their blood pressure and venous return in control.

The arteries are thought to transport oxygenated blood to the tissues, while the veins return deoxygenated blood to the heart. This is true of systemic circulation, which transfers oxygen from the heart to the body's tissues and is by far the larger of the two blood circuits in the body. The arteries transport deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs, while the veins return blood from the lungs to the heart in the pulmonary circulation. The distinction between veins and arteries is their flow path (arteries flow out of the heart, veins flow back in), not their oxygen content. Furthermore, deoxygenated blood brought back to the heart for reoxygenation in the systemic circulation also contains some oxygen, but it is much less than that carried by the systemic arteries or pulmonary veins.

While most veins return blood to the heart, one exception exists. Blood is carried between capillary beds by portal veins. Capillary beds are a network of blood vessels that connect the venules to the arterioles and allow materials to be exchanged from the blood to the tissues and vice versa across the membrane. The hepatic portal vein, for example, transfers blood from the digestive tract's capillary beds to the liver's capillary beds. The blood is then drained into the gastrointestinal tract and spleen, where it is absorbed by hepatic veins and returned to the core. Damage to the hepatic portal vein can be dangerous because it serves such an essential role in mammals. Portal hypertension is caused by blood clotting in the hepatic portal vein, which results in a reduction in blood flow to the liver.

Microanatomy 

Microscopically, veins have a thick outer surface of connective tissue defined as the tunica externa or tunica adventitia. A subtle "pop" can be heard as the needle penetrates this layer during procedures involving venous access, such as venipuncture. Since veins do not operate predominantly in a contractile manner and are not subject to the high pressures of systole, the middle layer of smooth muscle bands known as tunica media is much thinner than that of arteries. The interior is lined with tunica intima endothelial cells. Veins differ far more from person to person than arteries in terms of a specific position.

Conditions that affect the Venous System?

Your venous system can be affected by a variety of factors. The following are a few of the most common:

• Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT):  In a deep vein, normally in your leg, a blood clot forms. This clot could move to your lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism.

• Superficial Thrombophlebitis: A blood clot forms in an inflamed superficial vein, normally in the leg. Thrombophlebitis is less severe than DVT because the clot will also migrate to a deep vein and cause DVT.

• Varicose Veins: The superficial veins at the skin's surface swell. This occurs when one-way valves fail or the walls of veins weaken, causing blood to flow backwards.

• Chronic venous insufficiency is a condition in which there is a lack of blood flow in the veins due to faulty one-way valves, blood collects in the superficial and deep veins of your legs. Chronic venous insufficiency, while similar to varicose veins, usually causes more symptoms, such as coarse skin texture and ulcers in some cases.

Tips for Healthy Veins

To keep your vein walls and valves strong and working properly, follow these steps:

• Exercise on a daily basis to keep blood flowing into your veins.

• Maintain a healthy weight to minimise the chances of developing high blood pressure. Owing to the increased pressure, high blood pressure will weaken your veins over time.

• Avoid standing or sitting for long periods of time. Throughout the day, try to switch roles on a regular basis.

• When seated, stop crossing your legs for long periods of time and switch positions often so that one leg isn't on top for too long.

• Drink plenty of water and get up and stretch as much as possible when travelling. You can flex your ankles even while sitting to increase blood flow.

Conclusion

Veins are any of the vessels that, with four exceptions, transport oxygen-depleted blood to the heart's right upper chamber (atrium). The pulmonary veins, which carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left upper chamber of the heart, are the four exceptions. Most veins carry oxygen-depleted blood, which is gathered by thread-sized veins called venules from networks of microscopic vessels called capillaries. Veins have three layers, or coats, similar to arteries: an inner layer (tunica intima), a middle layer (tunica media), and an outer layer (tunica adventitia). There are several sublayers in each coat. The tunica intima varies from the inner layer of an artery in that many veins, particularly those in the arms and legs, have valves to prevent blood backflow, and the elastic membrane that lines the artery is absent in the vein, which is mostly endothelium and scant connective tissue. In a vein, the tunica media, which is made up of muscle and elastic fibres in an artery, is thinner, with lesser muscle and elastic tissue and proportionately more collagen fibres (collagen, a fibrous protein, is the main supporting element in connective tissue). The outer layer (tunica adventitia), which is the thickest layer of the vein, is mostly made up of connective tissue. There are small vessels called vasa vasorum that bring blood to the walls of veins and other minute vessels that take blood away, just as there are in arteries. Due to lower blood pressure, veins are more frequent than arteries and have thinner walls. They have a tendency to follow the path of arteries.