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A single arteriole and its accompanying venule supply and drain each pulmonary lobule. As these vessels approach the alveoli, the pulmonary arteries branch into the pulmonary capillary network, a network of tiny vessels with very thin walls that lack smooth muscle fibers. These capillaries branch out to follow the bronchioles and surround the alveolar structures. Here, the capillary walls meet the alveolar walls, forming the respiratory membrane where gas exchange occurs. Once the blood is oxygenated, it drains from the alveoli through multiple pulmonary veins, which exit the lungs via the hilum. *LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS CC licensed content, Shared previously, Stephanie Fretham, Human Anatomy. Authored by: OpenStax College. License: CC BY: Attribution. License Terms: Download for free at:http://cnx.org/contents/voWXZKel@1.1:Ux8otlkS@1/Lungs* ## Keywords transition arterioles veins capillaries
