What Are The 5 Main Arteries Of The Body?

 

What Are The 5 Main Arteries Of The Body?

 

If you’re curious what the 5 main arteries of the body are, then you’ve come to the right place! There are many major arteries in the body that play important roles in delivering blood throughout the body and to major organs and muscle groups. In this article, we’ll give you five main arteries in your body and their functions so you can learn more about them and why they are so vital to your health!

 

1) The Aorta

The aorta is the main artery of the body. It starts from the left ventricle of the heart and extends to both ends of the body. The aorta branches out into smaller arteries, arterioles, and capillaries to supply blood to different parts of the body. It is composed primarily of elastic fibres, which help it stretch when more pressure is applied on it. The aorta also contains smooth muscle cells that make it contract automatically in order to maintain normal blood pressure levels. The other four major arteries are the carotid, femoral, iliac and radial. The carotid artery supplies oxygenated blood to the head and neck area while the femoral artery supplies oxygenated blood to the legs. The iliac artery provides deoxygenated blood for the pelvis region and abdominal cavity while the radial artery provides deoxygenated blood for muscles in the upper arm. The five main arteries of the body are the Aorta, Carotid, Femoral, Iliac and Radial. The Aorta starts at the left ventricle of the heart and extends to all over the body. The Aorta branches out into smaller arteries, arterioles, and capillaries to provide blood to different parts of the body. The Aorta also has an elastic texture that helps it expand or stretch with increased pressure. The other four major arteries are the Carotid, Femoral, Iliac and Radial. The Carotid artery provides oxygenated blood to the head and neck area; meanwhile the Femoral artery supplies oxygenated blood to the leg region. The Iliac artery provides deoxygenated blood for pelvic region and abdominal cavity; meanwhile the Radial artery provides deoxygenated blood for muscles in the upper arm

 

2) The Carotid Arteries

The carotid arteries are the two large vessels that carry blood from the heart to the head and brain. They branch off of the ascending aorta, which is a part of the heart's left ventricle. One carotid artery is on either side of the trachea in front of the oesophagus, while branches known as external carotids branch off and supply blood to both sides of your head. The other main artery supplying blood to your head is known as internal carotid artery, which branches off from one of your common carotids. It runs along the inside of the skull before branching out into smaller, more numerous branches. The coronary arteries: Carrying oxygenated blood to the heart muscle itself, these three major conduits originate from the aortic root at the base of your heart, and split into an interconnected series of smaller arteries that wind around each other like spaghetti. The Radial Arteries: These are situated near the top of your arm bones where they exit (or radiate) outwards toward your fingers. A superficial radial artery is located near or beneath the surface skin layer (or dermis), whereas a deep radial artery lies beneath it within fat tissue called the adipose tissue, between the fascia and the muscles. The Vertebral Artery: Located in the back of your neck, this vessel supplies deoxygenated blood to the brain via vertebral foraminae and through foramina in spinal vertebrae. What are some other types of arteries?

 

3) The Coronary Arteries

The coronary arteries are the five main arteries in the body that supply blood to the heart and its surrounding muscles. The left anterior descending artery, or LAD, is the largest branch of the coronary artery system. This artery supplies blood to the front of the heart, including both ventricles and the left atrium. The right coronary artery, or RCA, supplies blood to parts of both sides of your heart. The other three arteries in this system supply oxygenated blood to specific areas of your heart and surrounding muscle:

1) Left circumflex artery (LCX) 2) Right circumflex artery (RCX) 3) Posterior descending artery (PDA). 4) Anterior interventricular artery (AIV). 5) The right marginal artery (RMX). The pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood from the heart and lungs to the lungs for resupply with oxygen before returning it to the rest of the body. The aorta carries oxygen-rich blood away from the heart, through the thoracic cavity, to the entire body. The brachiocephalic trunk divides into two arteries on the way out of the thoracic cavity- one supplying all tissues on the right side of the neck and head (the brachiocephalic artery), and one supplying all tissues on the left side of the neck and head (the left common carotid). The internal thoracic artery branches off just below where these two trunks divide- this artery feeds a portion of tissue in front of your chest cavity. The subclavian artery travels down either side of your collarbone between your upper ribs and clavicle.

 

4) The Renal Arteries

The Renal Arters are the main arterial vessels of the kidney, and they carry blood to the kidneys. The renal arteries supply oxygenated blood from the heart to the kidneys. They branch off from either side of the aorta before it enters into the abdomen. The renal arteries are paired which means there is one artery on each side of your body that supplies blood to both kidneys. The names for the right and left renal arteries are the upper right and left iliac respectively. The Left Subclavian Artery: The left subclavian artery is the largest subclavian artery in the human body. It carries oxygen-rich blood from the left ventricle of the heart to every part of your upper body except for parts in your head, neck, and arms below the elbow. The Esophageal Artery: In contrast with other vertebrates, humans have an extra esophageal artery on top of their two aortic arches instead of branching off of them as most mammals do. The five main arteries of the body are the two carotid arteries, the aorta, the pulmonary trunk, and the left and right common iliac arteries. The Carotid Arteries: The carotid arteries provide blood flow to the head and brain. There are actually four carotid arteries but only two of them contain life-giving oxygenated blood (one on each side) so these will be considered main or primary. The two branches of the external carotid artery are the facial artery and the occipital artery. The internal carotid arteries run deeper within the skull than the external ones and can become blocked by plaque buildup if not cleaned regularly with a dental pick. The Aorta: The Aorta is the largest blood vessel in your body, also known as the thoracic duct or the great vessel because it delivers oxygenated blood from the heart to all parts of your body. The pulmonary trunk brings oxygen-poor blood back to the heart from the rest of the body. The Common Iliac Arteries: These arteries branch off near the base of the spinal cord and merge together near the groin area. These are our five main arteries of the body!

 

5) The Pulmonary Artery

The Pulmonary Artery is one of the five main arteries of the body. It supplies oxygenated blood to the lungs and returns deoxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart. The Pulmonary artery branches off into pulmonary arteries that carry blood to each lung, which then branch into smaller bronchial arteries, which branch again into tiny capillaries. These capillaries supply oxygen and nutrients to all of the cells in the lung tissue. Blood vessels called veins drain the blood out of the lung tissue back into the pulmonary vein and on its way back to the left side of the heart. The aorta: The aorta is another one of the five main arteries of the body. It carries oxygenated blood from the left ventricle out to all parts of your entire body except for your head. Your head gets its own separate set or loop (circle) - or system (line) -of vessels that includes two carotid arteries, two vertebral arteries, and many smaller branches called arterioles. The carotid arteries take care of supplying your brain with fresh arterialized blood while the vertebral take care of supplying your spinal cord with fresh arterialized blood. The rest of the arterioles act as very small diameter pipes that deliver the right amount of blood to all the individual organs, tissues and muscles throughout your entire body. The Coronary Artery System: The coronary artery system can also be considered one of the five main arteries in the body because it takes care of carrying oxygen-rich blood through the four chambers of the heart so it can distribute this life-giving substance to other parts of your body. The four chambers are called two atria and two ventricles. The atria, or the top chambers, get their nourishment from the tricuspid and mitral valves. The lower chambers, or the ventricles, get their nourishment from the pulmonic valve and the aortic valve. The pressure within these two sets of valves pushes blood up to the next chamber when it's time for circulation to continue. The Carotid Arteries: You'll find that there are really only four types of arteries in your body instead of five if you're going strictly by numbers!