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The pulmonary veins are valveless veins that return oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart. In humans, there are four pulmonary veins, two from each lung, that empty into the left atrium. This oxygenated blood is then pumped from the left atrium to the left ventricle and subsequently to the rest of the body. Unlike most veins that carry deoxygenated blood from the body's tissues to the right atrium, the pulmonary veins are the principal exceptions, transporting oxygenated blood from the lungs. The pulmonary circuit, which includes these veins, is essential for the human cardiovascular system.1234

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