ToxiClay t1_ixxjp57 wrote on November 27, 2022 at 3:52 AM

Reply to comment by notclevernotfunny in eli5: How do veins and arteries work? What's the difference? by Enzoid23

So the answer to both of these is yes but no but kind of.

Your veins have valves in them to prevent blood from pooling backwards along your limbs and trunk due to gravity. Veins aren't driven by the beating of your heart, after all, and the blood is trying to go up against gravity; without the valves, you'd be in kind of a really bad spot.

You can technically use a vein graft to replace a stretch of artery in a pinch -- the valves won't hurt you too much -- but replacing a stretch of vein with an artery would be a majorly bad move.

ToxiClay t1_ixxhtub wrote on November 27, 2022 at 3:36 AM

Reply to eli5: How do veins and arteries work? What's the difference? by Enzoid23

Arteries and veins are both blood vessels, and the difference depends on what they're doing.

"Arteries" are defined as blood vessels which carry blood away from the heart.

"Veins" are defined as blood vessels which return blood to the heart.

Keep that difference in mind, and you won't be thrown by things like the pulmonary artery, which carries deoxygenated blood, but does so away from the heart.