Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Capacitance vessels are types of blood vessels, primarily veins and venules, that store and control the flow of blood back to the heart. They have the ability to expand and hold varying quantities of blood depending on the body's needs.
Related terms
Veins: Veins are blood vessels that carry deoxygenated blood from various parts of the body back to the heart.
Venules: Venules are small veins that drain blood from capillaries into larger veins.
Blood pressure: Blood pressure is the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, influenced by factors such as cardiac output and resistance within the vessels