aorta
"It has often been said that the aorta is like the Mississippi River of the human body. It is the largest and main artery in the body and goes up from the heart, turns downward through the chest, and runs into the abdomen. All of the other main arteries in the body branch off from the aorta. An aortic aneurysm occurs when part of the aorta enlarges and therefore weakens. The aorta is usually the size of a garden hose, but an aneurysm can make it grow to the size of a can of soda. An aortic aneurysm can be a life-threatening condition which, if allowed to get to the bursting point, can often lead to almost immediate death."
"The shape of the aorta is like a candy cane, with the smaller section of the curve coming out of the heart, curling through the aortic arch, giving off branches to the head and arms. The aorta then descends through the chest cavity, down into the abdomen, and branches to provide blood to the abdominal organs and the legs."
"The aorta is like a braided hose. An inner layer, a fibrous reinforcing layer and an outer layer.
Like a braided hose, if fluid leaks between the inner and middle layer the pressure will peel in inner layer off the braid.
The inner layer can collapse into the flow path, cutting off circulation, causing everything below that point to fail due to lack of blood flow.
Spikes and sudden drops in blood pressure could cause her to pass out.
And oh, by the way, the blood can low leak past the fibrous reinforcing layer and rupture her aorta. She'll be dead in seconds if this happens."
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