Capacitance of blood vessels

The compliance of blood vessels describes the distensibility of blood vessels located within the body; it is inversely proportional to elasticity. Therefore, the greater the amount of elastic tissue in a blood vessel, the greater the elasticity, and the smaller the compliance. This ultimately describes how volume changes in response to a change in pressure within the blood vessel at hand.

C=∆V/∆P where, C= compliance (mL/mmHg) ∆V= change in volume (mL) ∆P= change in pressure (mmHg)

The relationship between vascular compliance, pressure, and flow rate is Q=C(dP/dt) Q=flow rate (cm^3/sec)

Distensibility in the left heart blood circulation shows decreased values due to constant exposure to high pressure and high elastin content.