Artery

artery A blood vessel that carries oxygenated (except the pulmonary artery) blood away from the heart via the right and left ventricles to organs throughout the body. The main trunk of the arterial system in the body is called the aorta. The aortic divi­sions are the abdominal aorta, thoracic aorta, aortic artery, and ascending aorta. The pulmonary artery carries unoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs for oxygenation.