Artery

Brachial artery

Right upper limb, arm abducted, seen from in front

Before you touch the pencil

The artery you take a blood pressure over, so this is one marking you will use for the rest of your working life. It starts where the axillary artery stops and runs down the medial side of the arm to the middle of the cubital fossa, ending at the level of the neck of the radius. Feel your own biceps tendon first — everything in the cubital fossa is described in relation to it.

Position: Abduct the arm to a right angle with the palm facing forwards.

0 of 3 points placed

Point 1 of 3

Lower border of teres major, in front of the posterior axillary fold

Feel for it: Grip the back wall of the armpit between finger and thumb; the thick fold you hold is latissimus dorsi and teres major, and this point is at its lower edge.

What lies deep to the line

Skin, superficial fascia and the bicipital aponeurosis at the elbow
The median nerve, which crosses in front of it in the middle of the arm
Brachialis, which lies behind it in the lower arm

Viva voce

1 of 5 · 0 answered

Say your answer out loud before you open it. That is the exam skill.

Where does the brachial artery end, and into what?

The points, in order

1. Lower border of teres major, in front of the posterior axillary fold
Grip the back wall of the armpit between finger and thumb; the thick fold you hold is latissimus dorsi and teres major, and this point is at its lower edge.
2. Middle of the medial border of the arm
The groove you can press into on the inner side of the upper arm, between biceps in front and triceps behind.
3. Middle of the cubital fossa, at the level of the neck of the radius
In the hollow in front of the elbow, just medial to the tendon of biceps, which stands out when you flex against resistance.

Do not confuse it with

The median nerve
The nerve lies lateral to the artery in the upper arm and medial to it in the lower arm, crossing in front at about the middle.

Examiner trap

Ending the line at the elbow crease. It ends at the level of the neck of the radius, which is below the crease.

Memory hook

Lateral above, crossing in the middle, medial below — that is the median nerve on the artery.

Senior’s 30-second takeaway

Brachial artery — the whole bench in four lines. Read this on the way in.

If you see this: A line down the medial side of the arm · Starting at the lower edge of the back wall of the axilla · Ending in the middle of the cubital fossa
If asked to identify it: From the lower border of teres major to the middle of the cubital fossa at the level of the neck of the radius.
If asked one more: The median nerve crosses in front of it at about the middle of the arm.
If asked why it matters: The bicipital aponeurosis separates it from the median cubital vein, which is why venepuncture at the elbow is safe.

Then stop. Let the examiner ask the next question.

🩺 Before you touch the pencil

What lies deep to the line

🎙️ Viva voce

Senior’s 30-second takeaway

Before you touch the pencil

Viva voce