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When you're sitting in an airplane, it makes sense why edema can form..blood pools in the leg due to absence of muscle pump inactivity. However, I am confused about the pressure gradient aspect behind this concept.
On a practice exam we had, the answer to why this happened was because the pressure gradient decreased. I don't understand how. Wouldn't PVP increase since blood would pool in the legs?
My professor gave me this answer: "Because of the high compliance properties of the venous system, pooling of blood would cause a small increase in peripheral venous pressure which would be transmitted upstream. In other words, peripheral venous pressure backs up into the central venous system decreasing the gradient and decreasing blood flow back to the heart. "
I don't understand what he means by the peripheral venous pressure "backing up" into the upstream central venous system. ...
On a practice exam we had, the answer to why this happened was because the pressure gradient decreased. I don't understand how. Wouldn't PVP increase since blood would pool in the legs?
My professor gave me this answer: "Because of the high compliance properties of the venous system, pooling of blood would cause a small increase in peripheral venous pressure which would be transmitted upstream. In other words, peripheral venous pressure backs up into the central venous system decreasing the gradient and decreasing blood flow back to the heart. "
I don't understand what he means by the peripheral venous pressure "backing up" into the upstream central venous system. ...
