Blood Flow Rate and Pressure within our Arteries As we get older our artery walls gradually become covered with the buildup of cholesterol, fat, calcium, among other substances, also known as plaque; Plaque disrupts the blood flow going through the arteries. Physical implications of an obstructed artery can be shortness of breath dizziness, nausea, sweatiness, and chest pain. According to the continuity principal, fluid cannot be created nor destroyed between any two points contained. Between these two points the flow rate must be the same. Flow rate is defined as and is represented by . Applying this theory to an obstructed artery, we see that when a smaller area is available for blood flow, the decreased area prevents the ability for the same amount of blood to flow within an area. In order to maintain the same rate of flow, the time it takes for blood to pass through a given space increases to maintain the same rate of flow. As a result of an obstructed artery, the area decreases and the velocity is forced to increase. The radius of the aorta is 0.0104m, and the average velocity of blood flow in the aorta is 0.294m/s. As per the flow rate equation mentioned above, the rate of blood flow in the aorta would then be calculated as, Bernoulli's theorem states that "there is a tradeoff between height, speed, and pressure", meaning that when one of these quantities are decreased, one or both of the other two quantities must be increasing.
Bernoulli's equation, along with the continuity principle, When there is an obstruction, the radius decreases to 0.0020m and the continuity principle with Bernoulli’s equation can be used to see how the pressure of the blood is affected.
= -19595Pa = -147mmHg
Bernoulli’s equation doesn’t work because it gives a negative pressure as a result; as a consequence a vacuum is created. This is because the continuity equation tells us that as area decreases, velocity increases. However, this cannot be applied when blood is involved because it is known that as blood goes through a blocked artery, velocity decreases.
