Brachial artery

The brachial artery ( " brachial artery ") is an artery ( artery) of the upper arm and provides the entire arm with blood. It is a continuation of the axillary artery ( axillary artery ) in the inner biceps groove ( medial bicipital groove ), ie on the inside of the biceps brachii muscle on the upper arm. Below the elbow it divides in human radial artery and the ulnar artery in the forearm. When the pets they are on the forearm interosseous artery from the artery and is then referred to as the median artery.

The brachial artery is flanked on both sides by nerves that are part of the medial or lateral cord of the brachial plexus ( brachial plexus ). These are medial to the median nerve and the ulnar nerve and medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve of the first and the medial cutaneous nerve brachii. Lateral to the artery below the biceps, is the musculocutaneous nerve.

The brachial artery is right at the beginning from a collateral, the profunda brachii artery, the axillary artery with the radial nerve and at the very beginning with the nerve from the posterior fascicle of the brachial plexus at the back between the medial and the lateral portion of the triceps brachii in the sulcus radial nerve runs, being above the elbow comes back to the front and then between musculus musculus brachialis and brachioradialis. In the elbow, the blood of the arteria profunda brachii flows through the vascular network around the elbow ( cubital articular rete ) again together with the brachial artery. However, the collateral is not sufficient to feed the arm in the long run only if the brachial artery has been laid.

The Vein accompanying the brachial artery is the brachial vein.

Branches of the brachial artery in humans

• Arteria profunda brachii Arteries nutriciae humeri
• Ramus deltoid
• Collateralis medial artery ( anastomoses with the rete articular cubiti )
• Radial collateral artery ( terminal branch of the arteria profunda brachii ) The anterior branch of the radial collateral artery is called later in A. radial recurrent and anastomoses with the radial artery in the anterior cubital regions.

Clinical references

The brachial artery can pull the trigger against the humerus in bleeding in the forearm muscle in the furrow. In the area of ​​distribution of the brachial artery, one puts in the measurement of blood pressure on the stethoscope. Here you can also try to palpate the pulse if you can not find him on the wrist. In infants or young children can see the pulse at the brachial artery in the muscle gap better than buttons at the wrist.

For venipuncture in the cubital fossa is a danger to puncture the brachial artery (in particular with atypical course ).