Which vessel carries deoxygenated blood away from the heart to the lungs?

• A. Pulmonary artery
• B. Aorta
• C. Pulmonary vein
• D. Vena cava

Answer: (A)

In the pulmonary circuit, the vessel that carries blood away from the heart to the lungs is the pulmonary artery. After the right ventricle contracts, blood is pumped into this vessel and travels to the lungs to pick up oxygen. It’s an exception to the usual idea that arteries carry oxygen-rich blood, because the blood here is still deoxygenated when it leaves the heart and becomes oxygenated in the lungs. The other vessels do the opposite or move blood in a different direction: the aorta sends oxygenated blood to the body, the pulmonary vein returns oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart, and the vena cava brings deoxygenated blood back to the heart from the body.