14 Blood Supply

Think of the digestive system like a busy city, with different areas connected by highways, which in this case are blood vessels. these highways carry nutrients and waste through blood supplied by the aorta, which branches off into the celiac trunk. The celiac trunk then splits into three main arteries, each going to different parts of the digestive system.

figure 25 Anterior view; Digestive vasculature

The left gastric artery is the smallest of these branches and supplies blood to the stomach and esophagus.

The splenic artery is the largest  and supplies blood to the pancreas and spleen. It also branches into smaller arteries which supply the stomach and pancreas.

The common hepatic artery comes from the right side and splits into three arteries:

• The proper hepatic artery which provides blood to the liver, gallbladder, and stomach.
• The Right gastric artery which supplies the stomach.
• The Gastroduodenal artery which supplies the stomach, duodenum, pancreas, and greater omentum(a fatty tissue near the stomach).