Arterial system

The arterial system is composed of arteries and arterioles (smaller arteries). Starting with the largest artery, the aorta, the arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the arterioles, and then on to the capillaries, where the exchange of gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide) takes place.

The pulmonary artery, with its two branches, is the exception of the arterial

world. Instead of carrying oxygen-filled blood to other parts of the body, its branches carry oxygen-deprived blood to the right and left lungs.