What general name is given to blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart?

Blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart are referred to as arteries. This is because arteries are specifically designed to transport oxygenated blood (with the exception of the pulmonary arteries, which carry deoxygenated blood) at high pressure to various tissues and organs throughout the body. The walls of arteries are thick and elastic, allowing them to withstand and accommodate the pressure generated by the pumping of the heart.

In contrast, veins carry blood back toward the heart, capillaries are the small vessels where the exchange of gases, nutrients, and waste occurs between blood and tissues, and venules are small blood vessels that collect blood from capillaries and transport it to veins. Each type of vessel serves a crucial and distinct role in the circulatory system, but the primary function of arteries is to transport blood away from the heart.