The mitral vena cava carries the blood that comes from the lower limbs and from all the organs that are below the diaphragm towards the heart . It is oxygen-poor blood, carried by this large venous trunk – the largest in the whole body, from the lower part of the body, to allow its purification. The vena cava is located in the abdominal cavity . It transits vertically to the right of the spine and the abdominal aorta, and only a small section crosses the thoracic cavity. This small part of the inferior vena cava then flows into the posterior-inferior portion of the right atrium of the heart.
What is the inferior vena cava?
The inferior vena cava has an average length of 22 centimeters (18 of which run through the abdomen) and a diameter of about 30 millimeters.
This vein originates on the right of the fourth-fifth lumbar vertebra from the meeting point of two large veins , the common iliac veins, each of which in turn arises from the fusion of the internal iliac vein with the external iliac vein of the same side of the body . The internal iliac vein receives blood from the pelvis, external genitalia, abdominal wall and lower limbs. The external iliac vein receives blood that comes from the organs and walls of the pelvis, the genitals, the buttocks and the posterior-upper region of the thigh. It is a very oxygen-poor blood, which mostly comes from the lower limbs, and from the lower part of the body.
What is the inferior vena cava for?
The inferior vena cava is responsible for the reception and transfer of the blood that comes from the lower limbs and from all the organs that are below the diaphragm, a blood low in oxygen that must therefore be enriched and purified by carbon dioxide.
