What type of blood vessel carries blood away from the heart?

Arteries are the blood vessels responsible for carrying blood away from the heart. They are thick-walled structures designed to withstand and manage the high pressure at which blood is pumped out of the heart. The contraction of the heart muscles forces the blood into the arteries, and the elastic nature of the arterial walls helps to maintain the pressure and propel the blood forward through the circulatory system.

In the context of the other options, veins are responsible for bringing blood back to the heart, capillaries are the tiny vessels that facilitate the exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and waste between blood and tissues, and venules are small vessels that collect blood from capillaries and lead it into veins. Each of these plays a critical role in the circulatory system, but only arteries are designated to transport blood away from the heart.