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In human anatomy, the axillary artery is a large blood vessel that conveys oxygenated blood to the lateral aspect of the thorax, axilla (armpit) and upper limb. Its origin is at the lateral margin of the first rib, before which it is called the subclavian artery.
It has several smaller branches. The branches can be remembered with the mnemonic "Screw The Lawyers Save A Patient."
After passing the lower margin of teres major it becomes the brachial artery.
The axillary artery is accompanied by the axillary vein along its length. In the axilla, it is surrounded by the brachial plexus.
Branches
- Superior thoracic artery
- Thoraco-acromial artery
- Lateral thoracic artery
- Subscapular artery
- Anterior circumflex humeral artery
- Posterior circumflex humeral artery
External links
- Mnemonics for the axillary artery - MedicalMnemonics.com
"Axillary artery"