A blood vessel that returns blood to the heart is called a

A blood vessel that returns blood to the heart is called a

• A. Artery
• B. Vein
• C. Capillary
• D. Venule

Answer: (B)

Veins return blood to the heart. They carry blood from tissues back toward the heart, usually after it has delivered oxygen and nutrients; in systemic circulation this blood is typically deoxygenated, though in the lungs the pulmonary veins carry oxygenated blood back to the heart. Veins have thinner walls and larger lumens than arteries and often contain valves to prevent backflow, reflecting the lower pressure under which they operate. By contrast, arteries move blood away from the heart to tissues, capillaries are tiny vessels where exchange occurs between blood and tissues, and venules are the small vessels that drain capillaries into veins.

Veins return blood to the heart. They carry blood from tissues back toward the heart, usually after it has delivered oxygen and nutrients; in systemic circulation this blood is typically deoxygenated, though in the lungs the pulmonary veins carry oxygenated blood back to the heart. Veins have thinner walls and larger lumens than arteries and often contain valves to prevent backflow, reflecting the lower pressure under which they operate. By contrast, arteries move blood away from the heart to tissues, capillaries are tiny vessels where exchange occurs between blood and tissues, and venules are the small vessels that drain capillaries into veins.