Which vessel carries deoxygenated blood to the heart?

• A. Arteries
• B. Veins
• C. Capillaries
• D. Venules

Answer: (B)

Deoxygenated blood returning to the heart travels through veins. In the body's circulation, veins collect blood that has delivered its oxygen to tissues and carry it back toward the heart to be re-oxygenated in the lungs. Veins have thinner walls and larger lumens than arteries, and they often have valves to prevent backflow, with muscle movement and breathing helping push the blood along. Capillaries are the tiny exchange vessels between arteries and veins, where oxygen is delivered and carbon dioxide is picked up. Arteries carry blood away from the heart, usually oxygen-rich in systemic circulation, while venules are the small veins that gather blood from capillaries to form larger veins. So, the vessel that carries deoxygenated blood to the heart is the vein.