FMA11359Heart
The superior vena cava is a wide, valveless venous trunk formed by the union of the left and right brachiocephalic veins in the upper chest.
Returns deoxygenated venous blood from the head, neck, upper limbs, and thoracic wall (via the azygos vein) directly into the right atrium of the heart.
Superior and middle mediastinum of the right anterior thorax, descending to the right of the ascending aorta to enter the superior aspect of the right atrium.
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Systemic veins empty into the right atrium, while pulmonary veins return oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium.
The hepatic portal venous network carries absorbed nutrients from the digestive organs directly to the liver for metabolic processing.
Lymphatic vessels return excess interstitial fluid collected from tissues back into the venous circulation.