Veins and Blood Oxygenation: Understanding Blood Flow to the Heart

Veins do not carry oxygenated blood into the heart. Instead, they transport deoxygenated blood from the body’s tissues and organs back to the heart. Oxygen‑rich blood travels from the heart to the body through the arteries.

This fundamental distinction is key to understanding systemic circulation: veins return blood to the right atrium, while arteries deliver oxygenated blood from the left ventricle to the rest of the body.