What is the Difference Between Pulmonary Artery and Other Arteries

The main difference between pulmonary artery and other arteries is that pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood whereas the other arteries carry oxygenated blood. Furthermore, the pulmonary artery supplies blood to the lungs while the other arteries supply blood to the body. 

Pulmonary artery and other arteries are the two main types of arteries found in animals with a double circulation. The pulmonary artery is a part of the pulmonary circulation while other arteries are a part of the systemic circulation. 

Key Areas Covered 

1. What is Pulmonary Artery
     – Definition, Type of Blood, Supply
2. What are the Other Arteries
     – Definition, Type of Blood, Supply
3. What are the Similarities Between Pulmonary Artery and Other Arteries
     – Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Pulmonary and Other Arteries
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms 

Deoxygenated Blood, Pulmonary Artery, Pulmonary Circulation, Other Arteries, Oxygenated Blood, Systemic Circulation

What is Pulmonary Artery 

The pulmonary artery is the artery which carries deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs. It originates from the heart as the main pulmonary artery, which is also called the pulmonary trunk. The main pulmonary artery divides into two at the level of the fifth thoracic vertebra as the left pulmonary artery (LPA) and the right pulmonary artery (RPA). The left pulmonary artery carries blood to the left lung while the right pulmonary artery carries blood to the right lung. Here, the right pulmonary artery is the longest and it travels through the mediastinum and enters the hilus of the right lung by sloping inferiorly. Both pulmonary arteries then divide into the segmental and subsegmental pulmonary arteries, which travel parallel to the segmental and the subsegmental bronchi of the lungs respectively.  

Figure 1: Pulmonary Circulation

Pulmonary arteries and pulmonary veins make up the pulmonary circulatory system, which is one of the circulatory systems of animals with a double circulation. The pulmonary circulatory system interconnects the heart to the lungs. The deoxygenated blood from the right atrium travels to the lungs through the pulmonary arteries for oxygenation and the oxygenated blood from the lungs returns to the left atrium of the heart through four pulmonary veins. 

What are the Other Arteries 

Other arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from the heart. Generally, arteries are made up of a thick wall and they do not contain valves as found in veins. Also, the blood pressure inside arteries is higher than inside the veins. The arterial wall is made up of three layers: tunica externa, tunica media, and the tunica intima. The tunica externa is made up of connective tissue, which prevents the overexpansion of blood vessels. The tunica media is made up of smooth muscles. On the other hand, the tunica intima is made up of elastic fibers and an endothelium.

Figure 2: Arterial System  

The main artery which leaves the heart is the aorta. It starts from the left ventricle of the heart and gradually branches off into several arteries, which supply blood to different organs in the body. Some branches are the brachiocephalic artery, coronary artery, etc. These small arteries further branch into arterioles and blood capillaries. 

Arteries except for pulmonary artery and veins make up the systemic circulatory system in animals. The oxygenated blood travels from the left ventricle to the body through these arteries and veins collect deoxygenated blood from the body and drain into the right atrium.  

Similarities Between Pulmonary Artery and Other Arteries 

• These arteries are found in the double circulation system. 
• Both are blood vessels which carry blood away from the heart. 
• There are no valves inside the artery.  

Difference Between Pulmonary Artery and Other Arteries 

Definition 

Pulmonary artery is the artery that carries blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs while other arteries are the blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. Hence, this is the fundamental difference between pulmonary artery and other arteries.

Type of Blood 

Furthermore, the major difference between pulmonary artery and other arteries is that pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood while other arteries carry oxygenated blood. 

Origination 

Moreover, the pulmonary artery originates from the right ventricle while the aorta originates from the left ventricle. 

Valves at the Beginning 

In addition, pulmonary valve occurs at the beginning of the pulmonary artery while aortic valve occurs at the beginning of the aorta. 

Destination of Blood 

Pulmonary artery carries blood to the lungs while other arteries carry blood to body tissues. This is another important difference between pulmonary artery and other arteries.

Division 

Main pulmonary artery divides into two as the left and the right main pulmonary artery while aorta divides into several branches to carry blood to the different organs of the body. 

Conclusion 

The pulmonary artery is the blood vessel which carries deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs for oxygenation. It is a part of the pulmonary circulatory system. On the other hand, other arteries are the blood vessels which carry oxygenated blood from the left ventricle throughout the body. They are a part of the systemic circulatory system. The main difference between pulmonary artery and other arteries is the type of blood they carry and the destination of blood.

Reference:

1. Weber, Craig. “Pulmonary Artery Function in the Body.” Verywell Health, Verywellhealth, 20 Feb. 2018, Available Here
2. “Picture of the Arteries.” WebMD, WebMD, Available Here

Image Courtesy:

1. “2119 Pulmonary Circuit” By OpenStax College – Anatomy & Physiology, Connexions Web site. Jun 19, 2013. (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia  
2. “Arterial System en” By LadyofHats, Mariana Ruiz Villarreal – own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia 

ncG1vNJzZmiolZm2oq2NnKamZ6edrrV5yKxkraCVYrGqssWeqZ6mk5p6o7HTsJyepl2lwq25zqeYq7Fdlr%2B1sdGyZJqmlGK8tbTEq2SaqqSav6qx0mg%3D