What is the only artery in the body that carries deoxygenated blood?

• A. Aorta
• B. Pulmonary artery
• C. Common carotid
• D. Renal artery

Answer: (B)

In arterial blood, oxygen content usually aligns with the circuit, but the pulmonary artery is the exception: it carries deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs for gas exchange. This is why it transports blood that hasn’t yet picked up oxygen. After the lungs oxygenate the blood, it returns to the heart via the pulmonary veins to the left atrium, then moves out to the body through the aorta. The other arteries listed—such as the aorta, common carotid, and renal artery—are part of the systemic circulation and carry oxygenated blood to their respective tissues. So the pulmonary artery is the only artery that carries deoxygenated blood.