vena cava

(noun)

either of the two large veins that take oxygen depleted blood from the upper body and lower body and return it to the right atrium of the heart

Related Terms

Examples of vena cava in the following topics:

  • Blood Flow Through the Body

    • After the blood has passed through the capillary beds, it enters the venules, veins, and finally the two main venae cavae (singular, vena cava) that take blood back to the heart.
    • Blood leaves the heart through the pulmonary artery and aorta, while blood enters the heart through the two venae cavae and pulmonary veins.

  • Structures of the Heart

    • The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from the superior vena cava, which drains blood from the veins of the upper organs and arms.
    • The right atrium also receives blood from the inferior vena cava, which drains blood from the veins of the lower organs and legs.

  • Kidney Structure

    • Renal blood supply starts with the branching of the aorta into the renal arteries (which are each named based on the region of the kidney they pass through) and ends with the exiting of the renal veins to join the inferior vena cava.