5: Blood Supply upper Limb

Question 1

Summarise the route for the arterial blood supply from the hear to the cibital fossa

Answer 1

1. Brachiocephalic artery/Left subclavian
2. Subclavian artery
3. Becomes the axillary artery at the border of first rib
4. Becomes brachial artery at lower border of teres major
5. Runs medial to the humerus until neck of the radius

Question 2

Where is the brachial artery in the cubital fossa located?

Answer 2

It runs fairly central in the cubital fossa but is spereated from the median cubital vein from the biceps tendon/sponeurosis

Question 3

What happens to the brachial artery at the level of the elbow?

Answer 3

It devides into radial and ulnar artery

Question 4

Explain the course of the radial artery in the forearm to the hand

Answer 4

It travels down the lateral part of the forearm to the hand under brachioradialis

Question 5

Explain the course of the radial artery in the hand

Answer 5

It crosses the floor of the anatomical snuffbox, enters the hand and anstomoses with the deep palmar brach of the ulnar artey to form the deep palmar arch

Question 6

Explain the course of the ulnar artery in the forearm

Explain its relationship to the FCU and ulnar nerve

Answer 6

Runs in the anterior compartment of the forearm on the median side

When it enters the wrist it is most lateral (from medial to lateral–> FCU, Ulnar Nerve, Ulnar artery)

Question 7

What are the most important branches of the ulnar artery in the forearm?

Answer 7

Interosseus arteries

1. common
2. anterior
3. posterior

Question 8

Explain the course of the ulnar artery enterin the hand

Answer 8

over the flexor retinaculum, lateral to the pisiform and through the semi-rigid ulnar (Guyon’s) canal with the ulnar nerve

Question 9

What are the branches given off by the ulnar artery in the hand?

Answer 9

In the hand it devides into the

1. Superficial branch
2. Deep branch

Respectively anastomost with the superficial and deep branches of the radial artery to form the

1. Deep palmar arch
2. Superficial palmar arch

Question 10

What is the deep palmar arch?

What does it give rise to and supplied?

Answer 10

It is the anastomosis of the deep branches of ulnar+radial artery

• Gives rise to the palmar metarcarpal arteries

Question 11

What is the superficial palmar arch?

What does it give rise to and supplies?

Answer 11

Anastomosis between superficial branches of radial+ ulanr artery:

The superficial palmar arch gives off three common palmar digital arteries. These arteries subsequently divide into palmar digital arteries.

Question 12

Explain the venous drainage in the hand

Answer 12

Most is superficially but

• Deep+ superficial palmar arches have respective venous drainiage
• Dorsal digital vein gives rise to the dorsal venous arch that devides into basilic and cephalic vein

Question 13

How are the deep veins in the arm called?

Which route do they take?

Answer 13

venae comitantes accompany the radial and ulnar arteries. They eventually flow to the brachial vein in the arm

Question 14

Explain the route of the basilic and cephalic veins in the arm

Answer 14

The cephalic vein runs laterally, the basilic vein runs medially, connected by the median cubital vein in the cubital fossa

• Basilic vein is joined by the brachial vein and then becomes the axillay vein
• That is joined by tha cephalic vein and becomes the subclavian vein