Brachial artery

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Artery: Brachial artery
Image:Gray525.png
The brachial artery.
Image:Gray526.png
Right upper limb, anterior view, brachial artery and elbow.
Latin	arteria brachialis
Gray's	subject #150 589
Supplies	biceps brachii muscle, triceps brachii muscle
Source	axillary artery
Branches	Profunda brachii Superior ulnar collateral artery Inferior ulnar collateral artery
Vein	brachial vein
MeSH	A07.231.114.139

The brachial artery is the major blood vessel of the upper arm.

It is a continuation of the axillary artery and it originates from the lower margin of teres major muscle and continues down the arm, until it reaches the cubital fossa at the elbow. It then ends by dividing 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 brachial artery has several branches along its course. These supply the muscles of the upper arm, such as biceps brachii muscle and triceps brachii muscle, and contribute to important anastomotic networks of the elbow and (as the axillary artery) the shoulder.

The pulse of the brachial artery is palpable on the anterior aspect of the elbow and, with the use of a stethoscope and sphygmomanometer (blood pressure cuff) often used to measure the blood pressure.