What does pulmonary circulation involve?

Pulmonary circulation is specifically the pathway through which blood travels between the heart and the lungs. This process is essential for oxygenating blood and removing carbon dioxide. When deoxygenated blood is pumped from the right atrium of the heart into the right ventricle, it is then sent to the lungs via the pulmonary arteries. In the lungs, the blood picks up oxygen and releases carbon dioxide before returning to the heart through the pulmonary veins, now oxygenated.

This differentiation is crucial in understanding the overall circulatory system, as pulmonary circulation's primary function is to exchange gases, while systemic circulation involves the delivery of oxygenated blood to the body’s organs. The other choices pertain to different aspects of circulation, such as systemic circulation or the blood supply to the heart itself, which does not fall under the definition of pulmonary circulation.