Which blood vessel carries deoxygenated blood from the body to the heart?

The inferior vena cava is responsible for carrying deoxygenated blood from the lower parts of the body back to the heart. It collects blood from the body, particularly from the abdomen and legs, and funnels it into the right atrium of the heart. This is crucial in the circulatory system, as it ensures that blood that has delivered oxygen to the tissues and is now low in oxygen (deoxygenated) returns to the heart to be re-oxygenated through the lungs.

In contrast, the pulmonary arteries carry deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs for oxygenation. The aorta, on the other hand, carries oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to supply the body. Pulmonary veins are responsible for returning oxygenated blood from the lungs back to the left atrium of the heart. Each of these vessels plays a unique and crucial role in the circulatory system, but the inferior vena cava specifically connects the body and the heart for deoxygenated blood.