The movement of blood through the vessels. It is pulsatile in the large arteries, diminishing in amplitude as it approaches the capillaries. In the veins it is nonpulsatile. The flow in arteries is the result of ventricular ejection; in the veins it is a result of a number of factors including respiratory movement, muscle compression and the small residuum of arterial pressure.

• laminar b. f. — blood flowing through a large blood vessel moves forward in a series of concentric laminae that slide over each other like a telescoping radio aerial. The central lamina moves fastest; the outer layer may be stationary.
• turbulent b. f. — created when blood flows through a small caliber orifice. Is the cause of murmurs in the heart and large arteries.

Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.