A high school biology teacher comes to you with high blood p…

A high school biology teacher comes to you with high blood pressure. Tests show that she also has increased levels of renin in her blood and atherosclerotic plaques that have nearly blocked/occluded blood flow through her renal arteries. She does not understand. It would be clinically accurate to explain to her that the (decreased or increased?) blood flow in her renal arteries could have caused an excessive increase in renin secretion via activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) pathway, and that the resulting chronically (decreased or increased?) blood pressure has likely led to the formation of the atherosclerotic plaque, given it is such a great risk factor.

You go to do a standard median cubital (MC) venipuncture blo…

You go to do a standard median cubital (MC) venipuncture blood draw and accidentally stabbed the patient’s high pressure radial artery, and now blood is leaking out of the resultant arterial hole rapidly and blood volume is dropping. The patient is now hypotensive. The baroreceptor-mediated reflexive response here will include: 

With respect to the first step in hemostasis – vasoconstrict…

With respect to the first step in hemostasis – vasoconstriction, when a vessel is cut paracrine molecules which are vasoconstrictive are released to slow blood flow/blood loss and this is similar to what you are trying to achieve more drastically by applying a tourniquet to a hemorrhage site. Say someone goes to draw blood from a patient’s superficial lower pressure MC (median cubital) vein but punctures the deeper higher pressure brachial artery accidently (they never learned their surface anatomy…). Does vasoconstriction and thus the indicated site for a tourniquet need to occur superior/proximal or inferior/distal to the vessel break? Hint: think about flow from the left side of the heart out to the systemic circulation.