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Although both are part of the circulatory system and may seem similar, there is a major difference between an artery and the veins that is vital to the human body. The arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart throughout the body. The arteries also have thicker walls to deal with the pressure of the blood and be able to stretch in response to the pulse of the heart. The veins, on the contrary, carry oxygen-poor blood from the body back to the heart. Veins do not have to deal with as much pressure as the arteries, hence why they have thinner walls. Although they do not have to deal with as much pressure, they do have to contend with the force of gravity to get the blood back to the heart. Some veins, such as in the legs for example, contain valves due to the force of gravity to make sure the blood keeps moving and does not get clogged. Another difference is how deep they are, the arteries are deeper inside but because of our pulses we can feel them pumping, which is how a patient’s pulse is taken. The veins on the other hand are closer to skin level which is why blood is taken from veins when it needs to be drawn.
There are four chambers in the heart, those are: right atrium, left atrium, right ventricle and left ventricle. The right atrium’s job is to receive the oxygen-poor blood from the body and pump it into the right ventricle. The right ventricle’s job is to pump the oxygen-poor blood to the lungs. The left atrium’s job is to receive the oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pump it into the left ventricle. Finally, the left ventricle’s job is to pump the oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. These four chambers of the heart are very important because they all work together to separate the oxygen-rich blood from the oxygen-poor blood, and allow the blood to flow in the right direction which in turn keeps the organs functioning.
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