Which vessel carries deoxygenated blood from the intestines to the liver?

• A. Hepatic portal vein
• B. Inferior vena cava
• C. Hepatic artery
• D. Pulmonary vein

Answer: (A)

Blood leaving the intestines drains first into the hepatic portal vein, which carries nutrient-rich but relatively deoxygenated blood from the digestive tract to the liver. This portal circulation allows the liver to process nutrients, detoxify substances, and metabolize materials before the blood joins the general circulation. The hepatic artery, by contrast, brings oxygen-rich blood to the liver; the inferior vena cava handles systemic venous return to the heart; and the pulmonary vein carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart. So the vessel that connects the intestines to the liver is the hepatic portal vein.