Blood Pressure Gradient
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- Blood Pressure Gradients are ultimately responsible for the flow of blood within the vasculature. A blood pressure gradient refers to a difference in the blood pressure between two points in the vasculature. Note that the absolute value of blood pressure at these points is not relevant to blood flow. The only value of importance is the relative difference in pressure between these two points. Blood flow will always occur from a location of high pressure to a location of low pressure. Unfortunately, the thermodynamic basis of this phenomenon is beyond the scope of this text; however, this general law forms the basis of cardiovascular physiology.