Ninja Nerd - Circulatory System | Arteries & Veins of the Upper Limb | Vascular Arm Model

Arteries of the Vascular Arm

• The axillary artery is the starting point of the arterial system in the vascular arm.
• The axillary artery branches into:
  • Anterior humeral circumflex artery
  • Posterior humeral circumflex artery
• The axillary artery continues down to the brachial artery.
• The brachial artery branches into:
  • Deep brachial artery
  • Superior ulnar collateral artery
  • Inferior ulnar collateral artery
• The brachial artery splits into two main vessels at the antecubital region:
  • Radial artery (feeds the thumb side)
  • Ulnar artery (feeds the pinky side)
• The radial artery and ulnar artery give rise to:
  • Common interosseous artery
  • Posterior interosseous artery
  • Anterior interosseous artery
• The radial and ulnar arteries form arches:
  • Superficial palmar arch
  • Deep palmar arch
• The superficial palmar arch gives rise to:
  • Common palmar digital arteries
  • Proper palmar digital arteries
• The dorsal carpal arch and dorsal metacarpal arteries form an anastomosis with the proper palmar digital arteries to supply the digits.

Veins of the Vascular Arm

• The palmar digital veins form an arch called the palmar venous arch.
• The dorsal digital veins and dorsal metacarpal veins form an arch on the dorsum of the hand.
• The cephalic vein and basilic vein are two important veins:
  • Cephalic vein: runs on the thumb side
  • Basilic vein: runs on the ulnar side
• The median vein (or median antebrachial vein) runs between the cephalic and basilic veins.
• The basilic vein and cephalic vein form an anastomosis in the antebrachial region.
• The median antecubital vein is a common site for venipuncture.
• The radial vein and ulnar vein merge to form the brachial vein.
• The brachial vein empties into the axillary vein.
• The basilic vein empties into the brachial vein, which then empties into the axillary vein.
• The cephalic vein empties directly into the axillary vein.

Arteries of the Vascular Arm

• The axillary artery is the starting point of the arterial system in the vascular arm.
• It branches into anterior and posterior humeral circumflex arteries.
• The axillary artery continues down to the brachial artery, which branches into deep brachial, superior ulnar collateral, and inferior ulnar collateral arteries.
• At the antecubital region, the brachial artery splits into radial and ulnar arteries.
• The radial artery feeds the thumb side, while the ulnar artery feeds the pinky side.
• The radial and ulnar arteries give rise to common interosseous, posterior interosseous, and anterior interosseous arteries.

Arches and Digital Arteries

• The radial and ulnar arteries form the superficial palmar arch and deep palmar arch.
• The superficial palmar arch gives rise to common palmar digital arteries and proper palmar digital arteries.
• The dorsal carpal arch and dorsal metacarpal arteries form an anastomosis with the proper palmar digital arteries to supply the digits.

Veins of the Vascular Arm

• The palmar digital veins form the palmar venous arch.
• The dorsal digital veins and dorsal metacarpal veins form an arch on the dorsum of the hand.
• The cephalic vein runs on the thumb side, while the basilic vein runs on the ulnar side.
• The median vein (or median antebrachial vein) runs between the cephalic and basilic veins.
• The basilic vein and cephalic vein form an anastomosis in the antebrachial region.
• The median antecubital vein is a common site for venipuncture.
• The radial vein and ulnar vein merge to form the brachial vein.
• The brachial vein empties into the axillary vein.
• The basilic vein empties into the brachial vein, which then empties into the axillary vein.
• The cephalic vein empties directly into the axillary vein.