Major blood vessels of the body
Urge Gerema (B.Sc., M.Sc.)
Address:
urgegerema@gmail.com
gerema.urge@ju.edu.et
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Principal Arteries of the body
1. Aorta
A. Ascending aorta
 Ascending from the heart (left ventricle)
 The coronary arteries are the only branch of
the ascending aorta that supplies the heart
B. Aortic arch
 Three vessels arise from the aortic arch:
 Brachiocephalic
 Left common carotid artery
 Left subclavian artery
C. Descending aorta
 Thoracic Aorta
 Abdominal Aorta
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Aorta
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Arteries of the neck and head
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Arteries of the neck and head
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Arteries of the neck and head
 The brain is
supplied by four
arteries:
 Paired vertebral
arteries
 Paired internal
carotid arteries
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Arteries of the upper limbs
 Right subclavian- from brachiocephalic
 left subclavian- from aortic arch
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Branches of the thoracic portion of aorta
It is a continuation of the aortic arch
Descends though the thoracic cavity to
diaphragm
Gives branches to the muscles and organs of
thoracic region
Pericardial artery
 Supply the pericardium of heart
Bronchial artery
 Supply the systemic circulation to the lungs
Esophageal artery
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Branches of the thoracic portion of aorta
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Branches of the abdominal portion of aorta
 Abdominal aorta is the segment between diaphragm and L4
 Unpaired
Inferior mesentery
Superior mesentery
Middle Mesentery
 Paired branches
 Renal artery– to kidney
 Suprarenal artery - to adrenal glands
 Testicular artery - to testes
 Ovarian artery - to ovaries
 Celiac trunk
 Splenic artery (to spleen)
 Left gastric artery ( to stomach)
 Common hepatic (to liver)
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Branches of the abdominal portion of aorta
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Arteries of the pelvis and lower limbs
 The abdominal aorta
terminates by bifurcating
into
Right common iliac
arteries
Left common iliac
arteries
 The common iliac divides
into
 The internal iliac and
 External iliac .
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Venous drainage of the body:
Veins Draining the neck and head
 External jugular vein
 From scalp, portions of face, superficial neck region
 drain into right and left subclavian vein.
 Internal jugular vein
 From brain, meninges, deep regions of face and neck
 Larger and deeper than the external jugular vein
 Sub-clavian vein and internal jugular unite to form the
brachiocephalic vein
 The two brachiocephalic veins merge to form the
superior vena cava, which empties into the right atrium
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Veins Draining the neck and head
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Veins of the upper extremity
 Consists of superficial and
deep venous drainage
 Deep veins
 Accompany the arteries and
bear their names / region
 Brachial vein –axillary →
subclavian → internal
jugular → brachiocephalic
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Superficial veins
1. Basilic vein
Drains blood from ulnar side of forearm form
the axillary vein
2. Cephalic vein
 Drains superficial region of hand and forearm
on radial side and joins axillary vein in the
shoulder region
 Median cubital vein
 It is a site of venipuncture
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Veins of the thorax
 Superior vena cava
 Receives blood from the right and left
brachiocephalic veins, which drain head, neck,
and upper limb as well as from azygous veins.
 The azygous vein
 Extends superiorly along the abdominal and
thoracic walls on the right side of the
vertebral column
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Intercostal veins
 The posterior intercostal veins drain into azygos and hemiazygos
system
 The superior veins drain into the brachiocephalic veins
 Right
 1st – right brachiocephalic vein
 2nd, 3rd & 4th - join to form superior intercostal which drain
into azygos vein
 5th - 11th & subcostal – drain to azygos vein
 Left
 1st – left brachiocephalic vein
 2nd, 3rd & 4th – join to form superior intercostal which drain
into left brachiocephalic
 5th - 8th – drain into accessory hemiazygos vein
 9th -11th & subcostal – drain into hemiazygos vein
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Veins of the lower extremity
 Have a deep and a
superficial group
 The deep veins
 accompany the
corresponding arteries
 Drain to common iliac
vein then to inferior vena
cava
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The superficial vein
Small saphenous vein
Arises from the lateral
side of the foot join
popliteal vein behind the
knee.
Great saphenous vein
Longest vessel in the
body, originates at the
arch of the foot and
ascends superiorly
draining into the femoral
vein.
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Arterial anastomosis
 Communication between two neighboring arteries
 Provide alternate routes – collateral circulation when
one artery blocked
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Arterial anastomosis
Arterial anastomosis occur at:
 Labial branches of facial arteries
 Between posterior and anterior intercostal
arteries
 Uterine and ovarian arteries
 Arterial arcades in the mesentery intestine
 Around scapula
 Around elbow joint
 Around knee joint
 Circle of wills
 Palmar and plantar 5/10/2022 Urge G 28

Clinical Condition
Where is the site for axillary artery compression?
Compression of axillary artery
 Compression of axillary artery against the
humerus may be necessary when profuse bleeding
occurs
 Axillary artery can be compressed at its origin at
the lateral border of the 1st rib by exerting
downward pressure in the angle between the
clavicle and the attachment of the SCM
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Measuring Blood Pressure
What is instrument that used to measure
arterial blood pressure ?
 Sphygmomanometer is used to measure
arterial blood pressure
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Compression of Brachial Artery
 Where is the site for brachial artery compression
and what will happen, if compressed at proximal
site?
 The best place to compress the brachial artery to
control hemorrhage is near the middle of the arm
 Because the arterial anastomoses around the elbow
provide collateral circulation, the brachial artery
may be clamped distal to the inferior ulnar collateral
artery without producing tissue damage
 Ischemia of the elbow and forearm results in
clamping the brachial artery proximal to the deep
artery of the arm for an extended period
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Femoral pulse and cannulation of the
femoral artery
 Palpable just inferior to the midpoint of the inguinal
ligament
 Normally, the pulse is strong; however, if the
common or external iliac arteries are partially
occluded, the pulse may be diminished
 The femoral artery may be compressed here to
control arterial bleeding after lower limb trauma
 The femoral artery may be cannulated just inferior to
the midpoint of the inguinal ligament (e.g., for
cardioangiography, radiography of the heart and great
vessels after the introduction of contrast material)
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Axillary vein
Wounds in the axilla often involve the
axillary vein because of its large size and
exposed position
Emissary vein
 Infections in the loose subaponeurotic
layer, however, can be transmitted
through bony channels by emissary and
diploic veins to the cranial cavity.
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Thrombosis and thromboembolism
How thrombosis and thromboembolism occurs ?
 The veins of the lower limb are subject to venous
thrombosis (blood clotting) for example, after a
bone fracture, muscular inactivity, and external
pressure on the veins (tight cast)
 Venous stasis (stagnation) is an important cause of
thrombus formation
 A thrombus that breaks free from a lower limb vein
and travels to the lungs results in a pulmonary
thromboembolism (obstruction of the pulmonary
artery)
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Saphenous vein grafts
 Vein grafts obtained by surgically harvesting parts
of the great saphenous vein are used to bypass
obstructions in blood vessels (e.g., an occlusion of
a coronary artery or its branches)
 When part of the vein is used as a bypass, it is
reversed so that the valves do not obstruct blood
flow
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Thank you!
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