The myocardium receives oxygenated blood from the coronary arteries, which originate from the aorta.

• A. Coronary arteries, aorta.
• B. Cardiac veins, inferior vena cava.
• C. Pulmonary arteries, aorta.
• D. Venous system, superior vena cava.

Answer: (A)

The heart muscle relies on its own blood vessels—the coronary arteries—to receive oxygenated blood. These arteries branch directly from the aorta just after the left ventricle pumps blood into it, delivering oxygen-rich blood to the myocardium. That’s why the statement is correct: the coronary arteries originate from the aorta and supply the myocardium with oxygenated blood.

In contrast, the other options involve vessels that return blood to the heart or move blood to the lungs, not supply oxygenated blood to the heart muscle. The inferior and superior vena cavae bring deoxygenated blood back to the right atrium; the pulmonary arteries carry deoxygenated blood to the lungs; and while the coronary veins do drain the heart muscle, they carry deoxygenated blood into the right atrium via the coronary sinus, not oxygenated blood to the myocardium.