The artery carrying blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs for oxygenation

Search Encyclopedia

The heart is the hardest working muscle in the human body. Located almost in the center of the chest, a healthy adult heart is the size of a clenched adult fist. By age 70, the human heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times. The heart is always working. It pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood daily.

A child's heart works just as hard as an adult's heart. In fact, at rest, a baby's heart may beat up to 130 to 150 times a minute. An adult's heart often beats between 60 and 100 times a minute, at rest. The rate at which the heart pumps gradually slows down from birth to teen years.

The cardiovascular system is made up of the heart and blood vessels. It circulates blood throughout the body. A healthy cardiovascular system is vital to supplying the body with oxygen and nutrients.

How the heart works

The artery carrying blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs for oxygenation

The heart is a large, muscular organ that pumps blood filled with oxygen and nutrients through the blood vessels to the body tissues. It's made up of:

  • 4 chambers. The 2 upper chambers are the atria. They receive and collect blood. The 2 lower chambers are the ventricles. They pump blood to other parts of your body. Here is the process: 

    • The right atrium receives blood from the body. This blood is low in oxygen. This is the blood from the veins.

    • The right ventricle pumps the blood from the right atrium into the lungs to pick up oxygen and remove carbon dioxide. 

    • The left atrium receives blood from the lungs. This blood is rich in oxygen.

    • The left ventricle pumps the blood from the left atrium out to the body, supplying all organs with oxygen-rich blood.

  • 4 valves. The 4 valves are the aortic, pulmonary, mitral, and tricuspid valves. They let blood flow forward and prevent the backward flow.

  • Blood vessels.  These bring blood to the lungs, where oxygen enters the bloodstream, and then to the body:

    • The inferior and superior vena cava bring oxygen-poor blood from the body into the right atrium.

    • The pulmonary artery carries oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle into the lungs, where oxygen enters the bloodstream.

    • The pulmonary veins bring oxygen-rich blood to the left atrium.

    • The aorta carries oxygen-rich blood to the body from the left ventricle.

  • An electrical system that stimulates contraction of the heart muscle.

A network of arteries and veins also carry blood throughout the body:

  • Arteries transport blood from the heart to the body tissues.

  • Veins carry blood back to the heart.

Medical Reviewers:

  • Louise Cunningham RN BSN
  • Steven Kang MD

Overview

The heart has four chambers and four main blood vessels that either bring blood to the heart, or carry blood away.

The four chambers are the right atrium and right ventricle and the left atrium and left ventricle. The blood vessels include the superior and inferior vena cava. These bring blood from the body to the right atrium. Next is the pulmonary artery that carries blood from the right ventricle to the lungs. The aorta is the body's largest artery. It carries oxygen-rich blood from the left ventricle to the rest of the body.

Beneath the tough fibrous coating of the heart, you can see it beating.

Inside the chambers are a series of one-way valves. These keep the blood flowing in one direction.

Dye injected into the superior vena cava, will pass through all the heart's chambers during one cardiac cycle.

Blood first enters the heart's right atrium. A muscle contraction forces the blood through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle.

When the right ventricle contracts, blood is forced through the pulmonary semilunar valve into the pulmonary artery. Then it travels to the lungs.

In the lungs, the blood receives oxygen then leaves through the pulmonary veins. It returns to the heart and enters the left atrium.

From there, blood is forced through the mitral valve into the left ventricle. This is the muscular pump that sends blood out to the rest of the body.

When the left ventricle contracts, it forces blood through the aortic semilunar valve and into the aorta.

The aorta and its branches carries the blood to all the body's tissues.

Updated by: Michael A. Chen, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

What carries blood from right ventricle to lungs?

The blood vessels include the superior and inferior vena cava. These bring blood from the body to the right atrium. Next is the pulmonary artery that carries blood from the right ventricle to the lungs.

Which artery carries oxygenated blood to lungs from right ventricle?

The pulmonary artery carries oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle into the lungs, where oxygen enters the bloodstream. The pulmonary veins bring oxygen-rich blood to the left atrium. The aorta carries oxygen-rich blood to the body from the left ventricle.

What artery carries oxygenated blood?

The pulmonary arteries carry low-oxygen blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs. Systemic arteries transport oxygenated blood from the left ventricle of the heart to the rest of the body.

How does deoxygenated blood get to the lungs from the right ventricle?

The deoxygenated blood returns from the body to the right atrium and from there enters the right ventricle that pumps it to the lungs through the main pulmonary artery (pulmonary trunk). In the lungs, the blood refills its oxygen supply and gets rid of carbon dioxide.