Arteries of the arm and the shoulder - Anterior view (Latin)

The a. subclavia conveys oxygenated blood to the upper limb (membrum superius), axilla and lateral aspect of the thorax. It exits the thorax at the lateral border of the first rib where it becomes the a. axillaris which can be divided into three parts relative to the m. pectoralis minor. The first part is proximal to the m. pectoralis minor and has one branch: the a. thoracica superior, which supplies the m. pectoralis minor and major muscles. The second part lies posterior to the m. pectoralis minor and has two main branches: the a. thoracoacromialis, which further divides into four terminal branches (r. acromialis, r. clavicularis, r. deltoideus and r. pectoralis) and the a. thoracica lateralis supplying the m. pectoralis major/minor and m. serratus anterior. The third part has three branches: the a. subscapularis, the a. circumflexa anterior humeri and a. circumflexa posterior humeri. The a. axillaris terminates at the inferior border of the m. teres major where it becomes the a. brachialis. Branches of the a. brachialis include the a. profunda brachii, the a. nutricia humeri as well as the a. collateralis ulnaris superior and a. collateralis ulnaris inferior.