Brachial Artery

00:01 Now, let's turn our attention to the brachial artery.

00:05 So, the brachial artery is that continuation of the axillary artery as it leaves the axilla.

00:10 It runs just underneath the cleft of biceps brachii and brachialis.

00:15 And it's an important location for measuring blood pressure.

00:18 So, here, we can see the axillary artery and biceps brachii there.

00:22 As we go to the lower border of teres major, the axillary artery becomes the brachial artery which we can see here.

00:29 Here, we could see triceps brachii as well to ensure that relationship still exists.

00:34 And then, we can see the brachial artery runs all the way down between this musculature deep within the arm and passing towards the cubital fossa where it will give rise to the radial and the ulnar arteries.

00:48 Here, we can see the brachialis muscle has just been added to the diagram to help see the relationship of these muscles to this important blood vessel, the brachial artery.

00:58 It enters into the cubital fossa by that imaginary horizontal line between the two epicondyles, the lateral and medial epicondyles of the humerus.

01:07 And here, it then divides into the radial and the ulnar arteries.

01:10 So, the brachial artery bifurcating into its two terminal branches that go on to supply the forearm and the hand within the cubital fossa.

01:20 There are a number of branches which come off the brachial artery and these all help to supply joints around the elbow, so, the elbow joints specifically and also, the joints that are associated to pronation and supination.

01:32 And here, we have the superior ulnar collateral artery that helps to supply the joint capsule.

01:37 And we have a superior version. We're also going to have an inferior version.

01:41 And these are just coming off at different proximities to each other, hence, the superior and inferior ulnar collateral artery.

01:49 Ulnar because they're passing down onto the medial aspect towards the ulnar side.

01:55 Coming off the brachial artery quite high up, quite proximally, passing through the triangular interval that we've mentioned before, we have the profunda brachii. This is a deep brachial artery.

02:06 It runs alongside the radial nerve and that runs down the radial groove on the posterior surface of the humerus.

02:14 So, here, we can see the triangular interval formed by the longhead of triceps, teres major, and the shaft of the humerus.

02:21 We can see this blood vessel then as indicated here, running along the radial groove.

02:26 Remember, the radial groove separates the medial and lateral heads of triceps.

02:31 The deep brachial artery also gives rise to the radial collateral artery.

02:35 And that goes on to supply deep structures and also, structures around the elbow joint itself.