Which vessel returns oxygen-poor blood to the heart?

The vessel that returns oxygen-poor blood to the heart is the vena cavae. The vena cavae consist of two large veins: the superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava. These veins collect deoxygenated blood from the body and channel it back to the right atrium of the heart. This is a crucial process in the circulatory system, as it allows the heart to pump this oxygen-poor blood to the lungs, where it can receive oxygen and release carbon dioxide.

In contrast, the aorta is the main artery that carries oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to supply the body. The pulmonary artery also transports blood, but its function is to carry oxygen-poor blood from the heart to the lungs for oxygenation. The coronary artery supplies oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle itself. Each of these vessels plays a different role in the circulatory process, but it is the vena cavae that specifically serves the purpose of returning deoxygenated blood to the heart.