Arterial blood Arterial blood Arterial blood is the oxygenated blood in the circulatory system found in the pulmonary vein, the left chambers of the heart, and in the arteries. It is bright red in color, while venous blood is dark red in color (but looks purple through the translucent skin). It is the contralateral term to "venous blood". Framed in the cardiac cycle, often historically accredited to the Wiggers diagram, arterial blood has just passed through the lungs and is ready to boost oxygen to sustain the peripheral organs. The essential difference between venous and arterial blood is the curve of the
Blood red wound, and it does not change color upon exposure to air. The color "blood red", therefore, covers both these states: the darker deoxygenated color and the brighter oxygenated one. Also, dried blood often has a darker, rust-colored quality: all dried blood has been oxygenated and then desiccated, causing the cells within it to die. This blood is often darker than either shade of red that can be seen in fresh blood. In the RGB color spectrum blood red often consists only of the color red, with no green or blue component; in the CYMK color model blood red has no