Pulmonary artery
This section is about
Structures of the Heart
The pulmonary artery is the artery that conveys blood from the heart to the lungs, where it is oxygenated for circulation around the body again (via the heart).
This is the only artery in the body that carries deoxygenated blood. All the other arteries in the body convey oxygenated blood from the heart to organs and tissues around the body. The pulmonary artery leaves the right ventricle of the heart (via the pulmonary valve), then passes upwards for approx 5cm before dividing into two branches. The two branches of the pulmonary artery go to each of the two lungs.
The pulmonary arteries divide into many arterioles and then capillaries within the lungs. The blood is oxygenated as it flows through the capillaries. It is then returned to the heart via the pulmonary veins.
For a diagram showing the position of the pulmonary artery relative to the positions of other major veins and arteries, visit the page about Systemic Circulation.
More about the heart and blood circulation:
See the following for more about the heart, blood, blood circulation, disorders of the blood circulation system, and related topics.
- The Structure of the Heart
- The Functions of the Heart
- Systemic Circulation (i.e. blood flow around the body beyond the heart and lungs)
- Pulmonary Circulation (i.e. blood flow through the heart and lungs)
- Heart Conditions, heart problems and disorders, both chronic and acute
- Heart Disease Risk Factors, avoidable and unavoidable
- Discoveries about the circulatory system and how it works
- Books about heart disease.
