Which great vessel is an artery that transports deoxygenated blood?

Which great vessel is an artery that transports deoxygenated blood?

• A. The pulmonary arteries.
• B. The aorta.
• C. The pulmonary veins.
• D. The superior vena cava.

Answer: (A)

Arteries usually carry blood away from the heart, but in the pulmonary circuit one artery is tasked with transporting deoxygenated blood. The pulmonary artery carries blood from the right ventricle to the lungs for gas exchange. Once the blood is oxygenated in the lungs, it returns to the heart through the pulmonary veins to the left atrium. The aorta, by contrast, carries oxygenated blood to the body. The pulmonary veins are not arteries; they return oxygenated blood from the lungs. The superior vena cava is a large vein bringing deoxygenated blood from the upper body back to the heart.

Arteries usually carry blood away from the heart, but in the pulmonary circuit one artery is tasked with transporting deoxygenated blood. The pulmonary artery carries blood from the right ventricle to the lungs for gas exchange. Once the blood is oxygenated in the lungs, it returns to the heart through the pulmonary veins to the left atrium. The aorta, by contrast, carries oxygenated blood to the body. The pulmonary veins are not arteries; they return oxygenated blood from the lungs. The superior vena cava is a large vein bringing deoxygenated blood from the upper body back to the heart.