What Are the Functions of an Artery?
Arteries transport crucial blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, acting in conjunction with the heart, capillaries and veins to form the circulatory system of the body.
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Significance
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The functions of an artery are focused on carrying oxygen and nutrient-rich blood away from the heart and supplying it to the rest of the body.
Pulmonary Artery
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The pulmonary artery is the only artery that does not carry oxygen. Instead, it "sends oxygen-poor blood into the lungs to be enriched with oxygen," according to The Cleveland Clinic.
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Aorta
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The main artery, the aorta, runs through the chest and abdomen before dividing and branching down each leg.
Benefits
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Arteries assist the heart in pumping blood throughout the body. "When the heart beats, the artery expands as it fills with blood," notes The Franklin Institute. "When the heart relaxes, the artery contracts, exerting a force that is strong enough to push the blood along."
Pulse
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This expansion and contraction of an artery is how our heart rate, or pulse, is measured as the artery keeps pace with the pumping of the coronary muscle.
Oxygen Exchange
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Capillaries receive blood from an artery and exchange it with carbon dioxide or oxygen. Veins then transport this waste-heavy blood back to the heart and lungs where the carbon dioxide is exhaled by the lungs and the blood receives new oxygen as the entire process begins anew.
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