Video - Microcirculation and Starling forces

The microcirculation refers to the network of small blood vessels that deliver oxygen and nutrients to individual cells and remove waste products. Starling forces are the physical forces that determine the movement of fluid between capillaries and tissue fluid.

The two major starling forces are hydrostatic pressure and oncotic pressure. Hydrostatic pressure is the force exerted by blood inside the capillary or in the interstitial space. It is generated by the contraction of the heart muscle, which squeezes blood through the arteries and pushes it into the capillaries. On the other hand, the oncotic pressure is created by proteins (mainly albumin) in the blood, which pulls water out of tissue fluid into capillaries.