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The largest artery in the body is the aorta, which connects to the heart’s left ventricle and branches into a network of smaller arteries. Here are the major arteries in the body. Blood passes from the heart to the tissues through channels of different arteries, which can vary in size.
- Aorta. Diameter: 350mm. Blood flow: 4900 milliliters per minute. Common problem: Aortic Stenosis. Location: Center of the thorax. Source: wikimedia.org. The aorta is the largest artery in the human body, as well as the main artery in the circulatory system.
- Pulmonary Artery. Diameter: 332mm. Blood flow: 3300 milliliters per minute. Common problem: Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. Location: Chest. Source: wikimedia.org.
- Subclavian Artery. Diameter: 7.5mm-10mm. Blood flow: 700 milliliters per minute. Common problem: Subclavian Artery Thrombosis. Location: Neck, thorax, and arms.
- Common Femoral Artery. Diameter: 6.6 mm. Blood flow: 284 milliliters per minute. Common problem: Peripheral arterial disease. Location: Legs. Source: flickr.com.
- Overview
- Arteries and your circulatory system
- Major arteries of the body
- Aorta
- Head and neck arteries
- Torso arteries
- Abdomen arteries
- Arteries of the arms
- Arteries of the legs
- The bottom line
Your circulatory system contains three blood vessel types: arteries, veins, and capillaries. Arteries carry blood from the heart, unlike veins, which carry blood to the heart.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, if you laid out all of the blood vessels in the circulatory system, they would be about 60,000 miles long!
Because arteries are moving blood being pumped out by the heart, the walls of arteries are thicker and more elastic than those of veins.
This is because the blood in the arteries passes through with a higher pressure than in veins. The thick, elastic walls of arteries accommodate that pressure.
Arteries carry blood away from the heart in two distinct pathways:
•The systemic circuit. In this pathway, oxygen-rich blood is carried away from the heart and toward tissues of the body.
•The pulmonary circuit. In the pulmonary circuit, oxygen-depleted blood is carried away from the heart and into the lungs where it can acquire fresh oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide.
Arteries can also be divided into elastic and muscular arteries based off of the material of their tunica media or middle layer.
Elastic arteries
•are closer to the heart where blood pressure is highest
Below are some of the major arteries that are found in the body and the organs and tissues that they service.
The largest and most important artery in the circulatory system is the aorta. It’s so important because it serves as the initial pathway for blood that’s leaving the heart and going to the rest of the body via smaller, branching arteries.
Without the aorta, the body’s tissues wouldn’t get the oxygen and nutrients that they need.
The aorta is connected to your heart via the aortic valve. It’s formed of the following parts:
•Ascending aorta. The ascending aorta distributes oxygen and nutrients to the heart via the coronary arteries.
•Aortic arch. This has three major branches — the brachiocephalic trunk, the left common carotid artery, and the left subclavian artery. It sends blood to the upper body, including the head, neck, and arms.
•Descending aorta. The descending aorta sends blood to your torso, abdomen, and lower body. It’s referred to as the thoracic aorta above the diaphragm, but after passing the diaphragm, it becomes the abdominal aorta.
There are several head and neck arteries:
•Left and right common carotid. The left common carotid comes directly off the aortic arch, while the right common carotid comes from the brachiocephalic trunk.
•External carotid. These paired arteries are derived from the common carotid arteries. The external carotid supplies blood to areas like the face, lower jaw, and neck.
•Internal carotid. Like the external carotid, these paired arteries are also derived from the common carotid arteries. They’re the primary arteries supplying blood to the brain.
•Vertebral. Formed off of the subclavian arteries, these paired arteries travel up the neck, where they also supply blood to the brain.
•Thyrocervical trunk. Also derived from the subclavian arteries, the thyrocervical trunk branches into several vessels that send blood to the thyroid, neck, and upper back.
The torso arteries include:
•Bronchial. There are typically two bronchial arteries, one on the left and one on the right. They supply blood to the lungs.
•Esophageal. The esophageal artery provides blood to the esophagus.
•Pericardial. This artery supplies blood to the pericardium, which is a membrane that surrounds the heart.
•Intercostal. The intercostal arteries are a pair of arteries on either side of the body that send blood to various areas of the torso, including the vertebrae, spinal cord, back muscles, and skin.
•Superior phrenic. Like the intercostal arteries, the superior phrenic arteries are paired and deliver blood to the vertebrae, spinal cord, skin, and diaphragm.
The abdominal arteries include:
•Celiac trunk. Branching off from the abdominal aorta, the celiac trunk divides into smaller arteries that supply organs such as the stomach, liver, and spleen.
•Superior mesenteric. Also branching off of the abdominal aorta, it sends blood to the small intestine, pancreas, and most of the large intestine.
•Inferior mesenteric. Like the superior mesenteric artery, this artery also branches off of the abdominal aorta and supplies blood to the last portion of the large intestine, which includes the rectum.
•Inferior phrenic. These are paired arteries that supply blood to the diaphragm.
•Adrenal. The adrenal arteries are paired arteries that send blood to the adrenal glands.
The arteries of the arm are the:
•Axillary. This is the name given to the subclavian artery as it exits the torso and enters the arm.
•Brachial. This delivers blood to the upper region of the arm.
•Radial and ulnar. These run alongside the two bones of the forearm where they eventually divide to deliver blood to the wrist and hand.
Leg arteries include:
•Femoral. Derived from the external iliac artery, this artery supplies blood to the thigh and divides into the various smaller arteries that supply the legs.
•Genicular. This supplies blood to the knee region.
•Popliteal. This is the name given to the femoral artery as it passes below the knee.
The arteries are blood vessels in the circulatory system that move blood away from the heart. This occurs through two different circuits.
The systemic circuit supplies the organs and tissues of the body with oxygen and other nutrients. The pulmonary circuit allows blood to acquire fresh oxygen while getting rid of carbon dioxide.
- Transports blood away from the heart
- High
Nov 3, 2023 · The largest artery in the body is the aorta and it is divided into four parts: ascending aorta, aortic arch, thoracic aorta, and abdominal aorta. After receiving blood directly from the left ventricle of the heart, the aorta descends through the thorax and abdomen –giving rise to many branches that supply all the body regions with nutrient rich, oxygenated blood.
- Medical Content
- 3 min
Feb 24, 2022 · Pairs of smaller blood vessels branch off from various points of the aorta. These branches extend the reach of the aorta to muscles, nerves and organs throughout your body. How large is the aorta? The aorta is the largest blood vessel in your body. It’s more than 1 foot long and an inch in diameter at its widest point.
Apr 30, 2022 · Your aorta, your largest artery, is about 10 millimeters (mm) to 25 mm (.4 inch to .9 inch) in diameter. Other arteries can be 3 mm to 5 mm (.11 inches to .19 inches) in diameter, while the smallest arteries, arterioles, can be .30 mm to .01 mm in diameter.
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Jun 30, 2022 · The biggest artery in the body is the aorta. It begins from the heart’s left ventricle, making a curve (aortic arch) so that arteries supplying the upper body can branch upward. The aorta continues down through your chest, diaphragm, abdominal cavity, and pelvis. Here, it branches to supply blood to the lower extremities.
