The aorta is the largest artery in the human body. It is derived from the Greek word ‘aorte’ which means “I lift, raise”. From its Greek form, we can create or imagine a scheme and what this aorta artery is all about but diving deeper we can see what it really does for the human body.
The aorta is the main trunk of blood flow from the heart and is divided into three major segments and these are the ascending aorta, its arch, and the descending aorta. The ascending aorta is the more important section; this is what is connected to the heart. The arch is the peak of the aorta just above the heart where it branches off into two. The descending aorta is the part that is found beneath the heart and is divided into the common iliac arteries. Unlike the first two, the descending aorta is so much longer that it is separated into two: the thoracic aorta – which descends above the diaphragm in the center of our body, and the abdominal aorta – which is the other half below the diaphragm.
As part of the arterial system, the aorta artery is the most important part. It is the great artery that rises from the left ventricle and becomes that highway by which all the oxygenated blood passes from the heart to the body. The aorta is responsible for transporting oxygenated blood towards our other systems in the body. It is elastic and acts like a pump and as such, it is made up of muscles, nerves, intimal cells and endothelial cells.
It is actually a very think tube of muscle that has several layers of tissue that contract and expand to pump the blood. The tunica adventitia or the strong outer layer, the tunica media or the middle layer and is actually the thicker part, and the tunica intima or the inner most layer and is responsible for transporting the blood – perhaps it has something to do with the term “intimacy”? Mostly made up of smooth muscles and connective tissues, the aorta artery is branched off all across the body and is interconnected. Only the lungs are not reached by this system.
It is also the one responsible for the pulses we feel in our veins – when the pulse is highest that is when the blood has just entered the aorta. However, since this pulse begins from the heart, only the lesser pulses are felt by human hands and as such we only feel the lesser pulses in the veins. In the event of a heart attack, the aorta’s blood flow is disrupted and this gives rise to the feeling of inability to control our bodily functions.
The aorta carries and distributes blood to the arteries, all of which, save the main pulmonary artery, are connected and branch off from the aorta. In turn, the arteries contribute to the pattern of blood flow that makes it normal. Branching off from the large arteries, to the smaller arteries, to the tissues and organs – the aorta is one big branching system that all begins with the heart.
