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Anatomy · Heart & blood vessels

Radial artery

The pulse at the wrist

Forearm and hand · lateral arterial supply

The smaller of the two terminal branches of the brachial artery, arising in the cubital fossa at the level of the radial neck. It runs down the lateral side of the forearm, under brachioradialis, and at the wrist lies just lateral to the tendon of flexor carpi radialis, where its pulse is felt. It crosses the anatomical snuffbox and ends by forming the deep palmar arch with the ulnar artery's deep branch.

How to spot them

  • ▸Runs on the lateral (thumb) side of the forearm, overlapped by brachioradialis in its upper part
  • ▸At the wrist lies on the distal radius, lateral to the flexor carpi radialis tendon
  • ▸Winds round the wrist through the floor of the anatomical snuffbox to the back of the hand
  • ▸Completes the deep palmar arch; the ulnar artery mainly forms the superficial arch

What to know

The pulse most often taken at the wrist, felt just on the thumb side of the tendon of flexor carpi radialis

Radial artery — the radial pulse.

A terminal branch of the brachial artery, arising in the cubital fossa at the level of the radial neck

Radial artery.

Crosses the floor of the anatomical snuffbox between the tendons of the thumb

Radial artery — the snuffbox.

It completes the deeper of the two arches in the palm by joining a branch of its neighbour on the little-finger side

Radial artery — deep palmar arch.

A test squeezes both wrist arteries, then releases one to see if the hand pinks up, checking collateral supply before cannulation

Radial artery — Allen's test.

The usual site for arterial blood gas sampling and for the arterial line, and a conduit for coronary bypass

Radial artery.

Named for the forearm bone beside which it runs, it is overlapped by brachioradialis in the upper forearm

Radial artery — accompanies the superficial radial nerve.

Key ideas

  • Wrist access for cardiac catheterisation (transradial) is now preferred over femoral in many centres, with less bleeding and earlier mobilisation.
  • Dual supply of the hand via the radial and ulnar arteries through the palmar arches makes it safe to use the radial artery for lines and grafts.

Quick-fire facts

  • •Arises from the brachial artery in the cubital fossa, at the level of the radial neck.
  • •Pulse is palpated on the anterolateral wrist, over the distal radius.
  • •Lies deep to brachioradialis in the upper forearm, becoming superficial at the wrist.
  • •Gives off the radial recurrent, superficial palmar, princeps pollicis and radialis indicis branches.
  • •Ends by anastomosing with the deep branch of the ulnar artery as the deep palmar arch.
  • •Allen's test assesses ulnar collateral flow before radial cannulation.
  • •Radial artery grafts are used in coronary bypass surgery as well as the internal thoracic artery and saphenous vein.
  • •The superficial radial nerve runs with it in the middle third of the forearm, then diverges.

Drill it — 7 cards

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Sources