The pulmonary vein is a blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart. Unlike most veins, which carry deoxygenated blood, the pulmonary vein transports oxygen-rich blood. There are usually four pulmonary veins—two from each lung. After being returned to the heart, this blood is then pumped out of the heart to the rest of the body. The pulmonary vein plays a key role in the circulatory system by returning oxygenated blood to the heart after gas exchange in the lungs.
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