Which vessel carries oxygenated blood despite being called a vein?
- A. Superior vena cava
- B. Hepatic vein
- C. Pulmonary vein
- D. Renal vein
Explanation
The pulmonary vein returns freshly oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium, so it is the exception to the rule that veins carry deoxygenated blood. The naming depends on direction of flow rather than on oxygen content: a vein carries blood towards the heart and an artery away from it. Its partner exception is the pulmonary artery, which carries deoxygenated blood.