Brachial artery

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Brachial artery

The brachial artery ( "brachial artery") is an artery ( artery ) of the upper arm and supplies the whole arm with blood . It lies as a continuation of the axillary artery ( arteria axillaris ) in the inner biceps groove ( sulcus bicipitalis medialis ), i.e. on the inside of the muscle biceps brachii on the upper arm . In humans, it divides below the crook of the elbow into the radial artery and the ulnar artery for the forearm . In domestic animals , it gives off the common interossea artery on the forearm and is then referred to as the median artery .

The brachial artery is flanked on both sides by nerves that belong to the medial or lateral fascicle of the arm plexus ( plexus brachialis ). On the medial side, these are the median and ulnar nerves and, initially, the medial cutaneous nerve and the medial cutaneous brachial nerve . Lateral to the artery, under the biceps, is the musculocutaneous nerve .

The brachial artery gives off a collateral right at the beginning , the deep brachial artery , which, together with the radial nerve and at the very beginning with the axillary nerve, is from the posterior fascicle of the posterior brachial plexus between the medial and lateral parts of the triceps brachii muscle in the sulcus nervi radialis , where it comes forward again above the elbow and then lies between the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles . In the bend of the elbow, the blood of the deep brachial artery flows back together with that of the brachial artery via the vascular network around the bend of the elbow ( rete articulare cubiti ). However, the collaterals are not sufficient to feed the arm alone in the long term if the brachial artery is obstructed.

The vein accompanying the brachial artery is the brachial vein .

Branches of the brachial artery in humans

  • Arteria profunda brachii
    • Arteriae nutriciae humeri
    • Ramus deltoideus
    • Arteria collateralis medialis (anastomosed with the rete articulare cubiti)
    • Arteria collateralis radialis (terminal branch of the Arteria profunda brachii) The R. anterior of the Arteria collateralis radialis is called A. recurrens radialis and anastomoses with A. radialis in the Regio cubiti anterior.
  • Arteria collateralis ulnaris superior (anastomoses with A. ulnaris in the region cubiti anterior)
  • Arteria collateralis ulnaris inferior (anastomosed with A. collateralis ulnaris superior)

Clinical references

The brachial artery can be pressed against the humerus in the muscle groove in the area of ​​the forearm when there is bleeding . In the area of ​​the division of the brachial artery, the stethoscope is placed on the blood pressure measurement. Here you can also try to feel the pulse if you cannot find it on the wrist. In infants or toddlers, you can feel the pulse on the brachial artery in the muscle gap better than on the wrist.

With venipuncture in the crook of the elbow, there is a risk of puncturing the brachial artery (especially if the course is atypical).

Web links

Commons : Brachial arteries  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. FCAT - Federative Committee on Anatomical Terminology: Terminologia Anatomica. Thieme, Stuttgart et al. 1998, ISBN 3-13-114361-4 .

literature

  • Uwe Gille: Cardiovascular and immune system, Angiologia. In: Franz-Viktor Salomon, Hans Geyer, Uwe Gille (Ed.): Anatomy for veterinary medicine. 2nd, revised and expanded edition. Enke, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-8304-1075-1 , pp. 404-463.