Arteries and Veins Flashcards
Describe the arterial supply of the hand
The arterial supply to the upper limb begins in the chest as the subclavian artery. The right subclavian artery arises from the brachiocephalic trunk, while the left subclavian branches directly off the arch of aorta.
When the subclavian arteries cross the lateral edge of the 1st rib, they enter the axilla, and are called axillary arteries.
The axillary artery passes through the axilla, just underneath the pectoralis minor muscle, enclosed in the axillary sheath.
At the level of the humeral surgical neck, the posterior and anterior circumflex humeral arteries arise. They circle posteriorly around the humerus to supply the shoulder region. The largest branch of the axillary artery also arises here – the subscapular artery.
The axillary artery becomes the brachial artery at the level of the teres major muscle.
Immediately distal to the teres major, the brachial artery gives rise to the profunda brachii – the deep artery of the arm. It travels along the posterior surface of the humerus, running in the radial groove. It supplies structures in the posterior aspect of the arm (e.g the triceps brachii, and terminates by contributing to a network of vessels at the elbow joint.
The brachial artery descends down the arm immediately posterior to the median nerve. As it crosses the cubital fossa, underneath the brachialis muscle, the brachial artery terminates by bifurcating into the radial and ulnar arteries.
In the distal region of the cubital fossa, the brachial artery bifurcates into the radial artery and the ulnar artery. The radial artery supplies the posterior aspect of the forearm and the ulnar artery supplies the anterior aspect. The two arteries anastomose in the hand, by forming two arches, the superficial palmar arch, and the deep palmar arch.
