Difference between Aorta and Pulmonary Artery


Introduction

The heart is a muscular organ is made of four chambers. It is responsible for blood pumping all across the human body. It is seen that the heart consists of a network of blood vessels such as the capillaries, veins, as well as arteries. The blood vessels that enter the heart directly include the aorta and the pulmonary artery.

Overview of the Aorta

The aorta is the biggest artery that exists in the human body and it mainly carries the oxygenated blood. The blood is carried by this artery from the heart to other body parts. The pressure of blood remains high within this aorta and it is for the transportation of the blood that is full of oxygen.

Aorta is consisted of thick walls and has an elastic nature. It is placed on the heart’s top and a valve can be seen at its entrance. It is connected to the left ventricle and it is responsible for the systemic blood circulation within the body. It is made of different arteries such as the aortic arch, the thoracic and the abdominal aorta, as well as ascending and descending aorta.

The pressure of blood is monitored by the baroreceptors and chemoreceptors that can be seen on the aortic arch. It also creates some diseases such as disorders in connective tissue, inflammation in the aorta, aortic dissection, aortic aneurysm, and atherosclerosis. They are harmful to the health of a human and the diseases are related to the aortic artery.

Overview of the Pulmonary Artery

Pulmonary artery is functioned in a way for carrying the deoxygenated blood. The movement of blood has happened from the heart’s right ventricle towards the lings for the purpose of purification. The existence of the pulmonary valve is seen at the starting of the pulmonary artery. This artery is located below the aorta and it is further divided into the right pulmonary artery and the left pulmonary artery. They are further divided into smaller arteries, arterioles as well as capillaries. All the divisions help in creating or forming the pulmonary circulation in collaboration with the pulmonary trunk and pulmonary aorta.

Some diseases related to this artery are pulmonary embolisms and pulmonary hypertension. It is seen that this artery is the only artery that carries deoxygenated blood and it is from the heart to the lungs.

Difference Between Aorta and Pulmonary Artery

Both pulmonary artery and aorta are present in the heart of humans but they have some differences. Aorta is consisting of thick walls and is situated at the heart’s top whereas the pulmonary artery is situated below the aorta. It is seen that although both of them are situated in the heart they have some differences and it is presented below.

Matters

Aorta

Pulmonary artery

Function

Aorta is called a large artery that mainly carries the oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest body parts.

The main function of this artery is to carry the deoxygenated blood from the heart to lungs for the purpose of purification.

Blood pressure

Pressure of blood remains high in this artery.

In this area, the pressure of blood remains low.

Location

It is located into the upper part of the heart.

It is located below the aorta.

Circulation

The circulation of blood in this area is called systemic circulation.

The circulation of blood in this area is known as pulmonary circulation.

Emergence

Its entrance lies at the heart’s left ventricle.

Its entrance lies on the heart’s right ventricle.

Branches

It branches into ascending and descending aorta, aortic arch, thoracic aorta, and the abdominal aorta.

It branches into the right as well as left categories.

Importance of Aorta and Pulmonary Artery

The aorta as well as the pulmonary artery both is the important parts of the heart. They have their own importance as they are included in the category of essential arteries. The importance of those arteries lies in the matter that both of them are responsible for the circulation of blood throughout the body. They are important but there are also some differences between those factors. The difference says that aorta is responsible for the carrying the blood that is full of oxygen. On the other hand, pulmonary artery is responsible for carrying the deoxygenated blood and it is the only artery in human body that carries this kind of blood.

Conclusion

This tutorial gives the idea that both aorta and pulmonary artery are the two most important arteries in the body of the humans. Although it is seen that both of them are related to the heart but they have some differences. The main difference between those two factors is that aorta carries oxygenated blood whereas pulmonary artery carries the blood that are not oxygenated or deoxygenated. It is also presented that aorta performs systemic circulation whereas the second one present the pulmonary circulation.

FAQs

Qns 1. What is the difference between the aorta and artery?

Ans. It is seen that aorta is the kind of largest artery in the body of humans. It carries blood from the heart to different organs of the body. Here arteries are consisted of small branches called arterioles.

Qns 2. What are the three branches of aorta?

Ans. The three branches of aorta include the brachiocephalic trunk, the left common carotid artery and the left sub-clavian artery. They are very essential for the body of humans as well as plays important roles.

Updated on: 13-Dec-2023

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