Starling force

Introduction

named for the British physiologist Ernest Starling

Principle

• fluid movement across the wall of a capillary is dependent on the balance between the hydrostatic pressure gradient & the oncotic pressure gradient across the capillary.
• 4 Starling's forces are:
  • hydrostatic pressure in the capillary
  • interstitial oncotic pressure
  • interstitial hydrostatic pressure
  • plasma oncotic pressure

More general terms

• force