Which blood vessels carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart?

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

Answer: (B)

Veins return blood to the heart. After blood has delivered oxygen to tissues and picked up wastes, it travels through the venous system back toward the heart, eventually entering the right atrium via the large veins. In systemic circulation this blood is deoxygenated, which is why veins are the vessels that carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart. Arteries carry blood away from the heart (typically oxygenated in systemic circulation), capillaries are the tiny exchange sites between arteries and veins, and lymphatics carry lymph, not blood.