What is the pulmonary artery?
The pulmonary artery is called the pulmonary artery (pulmonary trunk). Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a short, wide artery that carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs.
What it is
- A short, wide artery that carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs.
- Divides into a right and a left pulmonary artery.
- The only artery in the body carrying deoxygenated blood.
Where it is
- Arises from the right ventricle.
- Passes upward and to the left before dividing beneath the arch of the aorta.
- The two branches enter the lungs at the hila.
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Last verified: 2026-07-18
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