The force of the blood within the blood vessels that pushes blood to every cell and supplies them with oxygen, nutrients, and waste removal, is called which of the following?

• A. Cardiac Output
• B. Blood Pressure
• C. Vascular Resistance
• D. Pulse Pressure

Answer: (B)

Blood pressure is the force the blood exerts against the walls of the blood vessels, pushing blood through the circulatory system to supply tissues with oxygen and nutrients and to carry away wastes. This pressure results from the heart’s pumping action (cardiac output) and is modulated by the resistance of the vessels (vascular resistance). The other terms describe related ideas but are not the force itself: cardiac output is how much blood the heart pumps per minute, vascular resistance is the friction the vessels provide to flow, and pulse pressure is the difference between systolic and diastolic pressures. Thus, the description matches blood pressure.