The pulmonary veins are the only veins in your body that carry oxygen-rich blood. All other veins carry oxygen-poor blood.
Here's why:
- Pulmonary veins carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart. This oxygenated blood is then pumped to the rest of the body by the left ventricle.
- Other veins carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart to be re-oxygenated in the lungs.
This is a unique characteristic of the pulmonary veins, as arteries typically carry oxygenated blood and veins carry deoxygenated blood.
Remember: The pulmonary arteries, on the other hand, carry deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs to be oxygenated.
