Which chamber receives oxygenated blood from the lungs via the pulmonary veins?

• A. Right Atrium
• B. Right Ventricle
• C. Left Ventricle
• D. Left Atrium

Answer: (D)

Oxygenated blood from the lungs via the pulmonary veins enters the left atrium. These veins return blood that has just been oxygenated to the heart, and the left atrium is the chamber that receives it. From the left atrium, blood moves through the mitral valve into the left ventricle to be pumped out to the body via the aorta. It's worth noting that, unlike most veins, the pulmonary veins carry oxygen-rich blood back to the heart. By comparison, the right atrium collects deoxygenated blood from the body via the superior and inferior vena cavae, the right ventricle sends blood to the lungs via the pulmonary artery, and the left ventricle sends oxygenated blood to the systemic circulation.