Definition

1. Noun:
   • The main artery carrying deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs: The pulmonary trunk is the large arterial vessel that originates from the right ventricle of the heart. It transports venous (deoxygenated) blood away from the heart and subsequently divides into the right and left pulmonary arteries, which deliver the blood to the respective lungs for oxygenation.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The surgeon carefully clamped the pulmonary trunk before beginning the procedure.
  • A blockage in the pulmonary trunk is a serious medical condition.
  • In the diagram, the pulmonary trunk is shown exiting the right ventricle.

Advanced Usage

• "Truncus arteriosus": In embryology, the pulmonary trunk and the aorta arise from a common vessel called the truncus arteriosus.
  • A failure of the truncus arteriosus to divide properly results in a congenital heart defect.

Variants and Related Words

• Pulmonary artery (n): Either of the two arteries (right and left) that branch from the pulmonary trunk to carry blood to the lungs.
  • A pulmonary embolism is a blockage in one of the pulmonary arteries.
• Trunk (n, in this context): A main vessel, channel, or duct from which smaller ones branch.
  • The term 'trunk' is also used in anatomy for structures like the bronchial trunk or the sympathetic trunk.

Synonyms

• Pulmonary artery (often used interchangeably, though technically the trunk is the segment before the bifurcation).
• Main pulmonary artery.

Related Phrases

• Pulmonary circulation: The system of blood vessels responsible for carrying deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs and returning oxygenated blood back to the heart. The pulmonary trunk is the starting point of this circuit.

Noun

1. the artery that carries venous blood from the right ventricle of the heart and divides into the right and left pulmonary arteries