Circulatory System- Critical Thinking Question

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION # 2, 3 / CHAPTER 9, SECTIONS 9.1-9.9, 9.11, “CIRCULATORY SYSTEM Name Institutional Affiliation CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION # 2, 3 / CHAPTER 9, SECTIONS 9.1-9.9, 9.11, “CIRCULATORY SYSTEM Heavy smokers are likely to experience episodes of abnormally high blood pressure. Nicotine contained in tobacco is an active vasoconstrictor, which affects arterioles by antagonizing the effects of dilators such as diuretics. Classes of vasoconstrictors are commonly used to increase blood pressure among patients with hypotension (Starr & McMillan, 2010). Vasoconstriction increases the systemic pressure through the relaxation of the smooth muscles in the arteries. As blood vessels dilate, blood flow also increases due to a decline in vascular resistance. For this reason, when arteries and arterioles dilate, there resultant effect is the decrease in the heart rate and ar...