Corpus: Axillary artery

The axillary artery, continuing from the subclavian artery, is the central artery that supplies the arm with oxygen-rich blood.

The axillary artery starts at the outer edge of the first rib and ends at the lower edge of the tendon of the teres major muscle, where it transitions into the brachial artery. Its course varies with the arm's position: almost straight when the arm is at a 90° angle, convex upwards when the arm is down, and concave upwards when the arm is raised above horizontal. The artery's proximal section is deep in the armpit, while the distal section is covered only by skin and fascia. It has a close anatomical relationship with the brachial plexus.

Throughout its course, the axillary artery emits several branches:

• Superior thoracic artery
• Thoracoacromial artery
• Lateral thoracic artery
• Subscapular artery
• Thoracodorsal artery
• Circumflex scapular artery
• Anterior circumflex humeral artery
• Posterior circumflex humeral artery

These branches are crucial for supplying blood to various regions including the chest, shoulder, and upper arm.

The axillary artery can be palpated through deep palpation in the armpit. This involves having the patient adduct the arm and guiding the fingertips behind the front wall of the armpit, then pressing upwards and laterally. The artery can then be located between the pectoralis major muscle and the coracobrachialis muscle. Additionally, this vessel serves as an access point for isolated limb perfusion of the arm for treating malignant melanomas or soft tissue sarcomas.