Upper limb
Brachial artery
Arteria brachialis
- Origin
- Continuation of the axillary artery at the inferior border of the teres major muscle
- Insertion
- Bifurcates in the cubital fossa into the radial and ulnar arteries
- Function
- Principal artery supplying oxygenated blood to the anterior arm, forearm, and hand
- Innervation
- Sympathetic vasomotor fibers distributed via the median and musculocutaneous nerves
- Movement & chain
- Courses along the medial bicipital groove; relaxed in elbow flexion and stretched in extension
- Palpation
- Palpable in the medial bicipital groove and in the cubital fossa medial to the biceps brachii tendon
- Clinical
- Standard site for blood pressure measurement (Korotkoff sounds); susceptible to injury in supracondylar humerus fractures leading to Volkmann ischemic contracture
- Segmental innervation
- C5–T1 dermatomal/vascular distribution
- In clinical practice
- Universal site for non-invasive blood pressure auscultation; direct pressure point for severe distal upper limb bleeding
- Region in the model
- Upper limb