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Brachial artery

Large blood vessel on upper limb


Summary

Large blood vessel on upper limb

FieldValue
NameBrachial artery
Latinarteria brachialis
ImageGray525.png
CaptionThe brachial artery
Image2Gray526.png
Caption2Right upper limb, anterior view, brachial artery and elbow.
BranchFromAxillary artery
BranchToProfunda brachii
Superior ulnar collateral artery
Inferior ulnar collateral artery
Radial artery
Ulnar artery
VeinBrachial vein
SuppliesBiceps brachii muscle, triceps brachii muscle, coracobrachialis

Superior ulnar collateral artery Inferior ulnar collateral artery Radial artery Ulnar artery

The brachial artery is the major blood vessel of the (upper) arm. It is the continuation of the axillary artery beyond the lower margin of teres major muscle. It continues down the ventral surface of the arm until it reaches the cubital fossa at the elbow. It then divides into the radial and ulnar arteries which run down the forearm. In some individuals, the bifurcation occurs much earlier and the ulnar and radial arteries extend through the upper arm. The pulse of the brachial artery is palpable on the anterior aspect of the elbow, medial to the tendon of the biceps, and, with the use of a stethoscope and sphygmomanometer (blood pressure cuff), often used to measure the blood pressure.

The brachial artery is closely related to the median nerve; in proximal regions, the median nerve is immediately lateral to the brachial artery. Distally, the median nerve crosses the medial side of the brachial artery and lies anterior to the elbow joint.

Structure

The brachial artery gives rise to the following branches:

  • Profunda brachii artery (deep brachial artery)
  • Superior ulnar collateral artery
  • Inferior ulnar collateral artery
  • Radial artery (used to palpate radial pulse)(a terminal branch)
  • Ulnar artery (a terminal branch)
  • Nutrient branches to the humerus

It also gives rise to important anastomotic networks of the elbow and (as the axillary artery) the shoulder.

The biceps head is lateral to the brachial artery. The median nerve is medial to the brachial artery for most of its course. fracture of lower end of humerous may cause rupture of bracheal artery

Additional images

Image:Gray413_color.png|Cross-section through the middle of upper arm Image:Gray523.png|The axillary artery and its branches Image:Gray527.png|The radial and ulnar arteries Image:Gray528.png|Ulnar and radial arteries; deep view Image:Gray575.png|The deep veins of the upper extremity Image:Gray809.png|The right brachial plexus (infraclavicular portion) in the axillary fossa; viewed from below and in front Image:Gray1235.png|Front of right upper extremity, showing surface markings for bones, arteries, and nerves File:Slide10che.JPG|Deep dissection; anterior view File:Slide11che.JPG|Deep dissection; anterior view File:Brantigan 1963 1-47.png|The brachial artery can be palpated midway along the medial side of the arm File:MMSA Checking Blood Pressure.JPG|A medical student using a sphygmomanometer to measure blood pressure from the brachial artery's pulse.

References

References

  1. (2016). "Gray's anatomy : the anatomical basis of clinical practice".
  2. "Brachial artery".
  3. McCready, R. A.. (August 1988). "Upper-extremity vascular injuries". The Surgical Clinics of North America.
  4. Moore, Keith L.. (February 13, 2013). "Clinically oriented anatomy".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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