In
anatomy
Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...
, the ''venae cavae'' (;
''vena cava'' ; )
are two large
vein
Veins () are blood vessels in the circulatory system of humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are those of the pulmonary and feta ...
s (
great vessels) that return deoxygenated
blood from the body into the
heart
The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...
. In humans they are the
superior vena cava and the
inferior vena cava
The inferior vena cava is a large vein that carries the deoxygenated blood from the lower and middle body into the right atrium of the heart. It is formed by the joining of the right and the left common iliac veins, usually at the level of the ...
, and both empty into the
right atrium. They are located slightly off-center, toward the right side of the body.
The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood through
coronary sinus
The coronary sinus () is the largest vein of the heart. It drains over half of the deoxygenated blood from the heart muscle into the right atrium. It begins on the backside of the heart, in between the left atrium, and left ventricle; it begi ...
and two large veins called venae cavae. The inferior vena cava (or caudal vena cava in some animals) travels up alongside the
abdominal aorta with blood from the lower part of the body. It is the largest vein in the human body.
"What is the largest vein in the human body?"
MadSci Network: Anatomy. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
The superior vena cava (or cranial vena cava in animals) is above the heart, and forms from a convergence of the left and right brachiocephalic veins, which contain blood from the head and the arms.
References
{{Authority control
Veins