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Multiple Choice

Which great vessel receives blood from all the body's systemic veins (except the cardiac veins)?

Systemic venous return to the heart is gathered by the two large vessels that drain the whole body: the superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava. Blood from the head, neck, and upper limbs returns through the superior vena cava, while blood from the trunk and lower limbs returns through the inferior vena cava. The cardiac veins drain the heart itself directly into the right atrium, not into these two vessels. The hepatic portal system sends blood from digestive organs to the liver first, and hepatic veins eventually drain liver blood into the inferior vena cava, but the portal vein itself does not collect all systemic venous blood. Together, the superior and inferior vena cava receive blood from essentially all systemic veins (excluding the cardiac veins), delivering it to the right atrium.

Systemic venous return to the heart is gathered by the two large vessels that drain the whole body: the superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava. Blood from the head, neck, and upper limbs returns through the superior vena cava, while blood from the trunk and lower limbs returns through the inferior vena cava. The cardiac veins drain the heart itself directly into the right atrium, not into these two vessels. The hepatic portal system sends blood from digestive organs to the liver first, and hepatic veins eventually drain liver blood into the inferior vena cava, but the portal vein itself does not collect all systemic venous blood. Together, the superior and inferior vena cava receive blood from essentially all systemic veins (excluding the cardiac veins), delivering it to the right atrium.