Axillary artery

The subclavian artery becomes in the armpit area Axillary artery. This vessel supplies the entire arm area with arterial blood. Like all other arteries, the axillary artery can be affected by arteriosclerosis, which often leads to infarcts or necrosis as a long-term consequence.

What is the axillary artery?

The subclavian artery is also known as the subclavian artery and is responsible for supplying blood to the arms. Their branches also supply the head and neck area with arterial vessels. The artery arises on the left from the aortic arch and on the right from the brachiocephalic trunk.

Embedded in the nerve cords of the brachial plexus, the vessel lies between the anterior and medius scalenus muscles within the posterior scalenus gap. As it progresses, the subclavian artery passes under the edge of the collarbone to pull into the armpit. In this area, the blood vessel is called the axillary artery. As a result, the axillary artery is a continuation of the central subclavian artery, which in its course gives off different vascular branches to supply various trunk tissues.

Like all arteries, the axillary artery carries oxygen-rich blood from the cardiovascular system to distribute it around the periphery of the body. In the German specialist literature, the process of the subclavian artery is also referred to as the armpit artery.

Anatomy & structure

The axillary artery is mentioned approximately from the outer edge of the first rib. Above this structure, the vessel is still called the subclavian artery. The end of the axillary artery lies at the caudal edge of the tendon of the teres major muscle. At this point the artery becomes the brachial artery. The morphological shape of the artery depends on the position of the upper arms.

With the arm bent at 90 degrees, the axillary artery is almost straight. When the arm is in contact, the blood vessel takes a cranially convex course, whereas when the arm is raised horizontally it takes a cranially concave course. The artery has its proximal section in the depths of the armpit. The distal section is from the skin and fascia. There is an anatomically close connection between the vessel and the brachial plexus. Like all arteries, the axillary artery has multiple layers. On the tunica intima, which is close to the lumen, consists of endothelial cells and connective tissue, the tunica media of smooth muscles. This is followed by the tunica externa connective tissue layer. The elastic fibers on both sides of the media are called the internal elastic membrane.

Function & tasks

Like all arterial vessels, the axillary artery is responsible for the transport of oxygen, nutrient and messenger substance-rich blood from the center of the body. All tissues in the body are dependent on a permanent supply of arterial blood for survival. The blood within arteries is a transport medium for vital substances, without which the body tissues and organs can neither grow nor function.

The axillary artery supplies different tissues of the body periphery by means of its branches. The superior thoracic artery branch is involved in the arterial supply of the upper thoracic area. With the arteria thoracoacromialis, the arteria axillaris also supplies the thoracic bone corner area. The lateral thoracic artery branch supplies the lateral thoracic region and the subscapular artery, the largest branch of the axillary artery, supplies the tissue under the shoulder blade. The arteria circumflexa humeri posterior and arteria circumflexa humeri anterior are involved in the supply of the shoulder joint.

Arteries like the axillary artery contain sensory cells of deep sensitivity. These receptors give the nervous system permanent feedback about changes in blood pressure. The vegetative nervous system counter-regulates blood pressure when necessary by contractions of the arterial muscles. The axillary artery thus indirectly contributes to maintaining the circulation and interacts with cardiac activity. The supply of nutrients, oxygen and messengers to the armpit, shoulder muscles, chest and arms is nonetheless the main task of the blood vessel.

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Diseases

The axillary artery is a relevant blood vessel in the context of surgical interventions, which serves as an access for isolated extremity perfusions of the arm. This treatment is particularly important for patients with malignant melanoma and soft tissue sarcoma. The artery also gains clinical relevance through pathological changes such as arterial diseases.

Atherosclerosis is a widespread disease in the 21st century. Like all other arteries, the axillary artery can be affected by arteriosclerotic processes. In arteriosclerosis, so-called plaques are deposited in the blood vessels. This plaque consists of fats, connective tissue, calcium and thrombi. In this context we are talking about hardening of the arteries or hardening of the arteries. Due to the hardening, the blood vessels become harder and stiffer in the course of arteriosclerosis. The loss of elasticity affects the entire circulatory system. Cracks and inflammation may develop in the affected arteries, causing plaque to develop further.

Atherosclerosis is often asymptomatic over the years. The more the plaque narrows the vascular lumen, the more the arteries lose their function. Heart attacks are a widespread consequence, especially strokes in addition to heart attacks. Cracks in the hardened vessel wall lead to the formation of ember clots, which can block entire vessels. The result is an insufficient supply of oxygen to the supplied tissues. Entire areas of tissue can die in this way. Aneurysms are also favored by arteriosclerosis.

Since the axillary artery supplies the entire arm area with arterial blood, arteriosclerotic processes in the artery have extreme consequences for a number of tissues. Even more frequently than arteriosclerosis in the axillary artery, the medical practitioner encounters compression-related circulatory or sensory disorders in the arm area in everyday clinical practice, which are usually based on jamming of the brachial plexus.