Pulmonary vein three and five in the healthy population. The two left lobar veins may be united as a single pulmonary vein in about 25% of people; the two right veins may be united in about 3%. The pulmonary veins play an essential role in respiration, by receiving blood that has been oxygenated in the alveoli and returning it to the left atrium. As part of the pulmonary circulation they carry oxygenated blood back to the heart, as opposed to the veins of the systemic circulation which carry deoxygenated blood. A rare genetic defect of the pulmonary veins can cause them to
Renal vein Renal vein The renal veins are veins that drain the kidney. They connect the kidney to the inferior vena cava. They carry the blood filtered by the kidney. There is one vein per kidney, that divides into 4 divisions upon entering the kidney: Because the inferior vena cava is on the right half of the body, the left renal vein is generally the longer of the two. Because the inferior vena cava is not laterally symmetrical, the left renal vein often receives the following veins: This is in contrast to the right side of the body, where these veins drain