Which organ pumps blood through the body?

• A. Heart
• B. Lungs
• C. Stomach and intestines
• D. Brain

Answer: (A)

The heart is the organ that pumps blood through the body. It acts as a muscular pump that drives two circulating routes: to the lungs for oxygenation and then to the rest of the body to deliver that oxygen and nutrients. The heart has four chambers and valves that coordinate blood flow: deoxygenated blood returns to the right atrium, moves to the right ventricle, is sent to the lungs to pick up oxygen, returns as oxygenated blood to the left atrium, moves into the left ventricle, and is pumped out to the body through the aorta. The lungs don’t pump blood through the body; they exchange gases. The stomach and intestines process digestion and rely on blood flow, but they don’t serve as the pumping organ. The brain is supplied with blood by the heart’s pumping action, not by itself acting as the pump.