Wiktionary
n. (context anatomy English) The large vein which returns blood from the head, neck, thorax and both upper limbs to the right atrium of the heart.
WordNet
n. receives blood from the head and arms and chest and empties into the right atrium of the heart; formed from the azygos and both brachiocephalic veins [syn: precava]
Wikipedia
The superior vena cava (SVC) is the superior of the two venae cavae, the great venous trunks that return deoxygenated blood from the systemic circulation to the right atrium of the heart. It is a large-diameter (24 mm), yet short, vein that receives venous return from the upper half of the body, above the diaphragm. (Venous return from the lower half, below the diaphragm, flows through the inferior vena cava.) The SVC is located in the anterior right superior mediastinum. It is the typical site of central venous access (CVA) via a central venous catheter or a peripherally inserted central catheter. Mentions of "the cava" without further specification usually refer to the SVC.
Usage examples of "superior vena cava".
He started with the brachiocephalic artery followed by the superior vena cava.
From it the doctors insert a connecting cable through the superior vena cava to the right auricle of the heart.
It came, not from the carotid artery, but from the superior vena cava.
I had to replace parts of his esophagus, the superior vena cava, some mesentery .
I had to replace parts of his esophagus, the superior vena cava, some mesentery.
There are also definite signs of a small glacier forming in the upper region of the superior vena cava.