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Cardiovascular System of the Arm and Hand (Posterior View)

The cardiovascular system of the upper extremities ensures adequate flow of oxygenated blood to—and the removal of deoxygenated blood from—the shoulders, arms, hands and fingers. Adequate blood flow to these tissues is critical to the health of these extremities, helps regulate body temperature, and reduces the risk of frostbite of the fingers in extreme weather conditions.

Providing the upper extremities with oxygenated blood are several...

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    Full Cardiovascular System of the Arm and Hand (Posterior View) Description

    [Continued from above] . . . large blood vessels, including the brachial artery at the top of the arm and the radial and ulnar arteries in the lower arm. These arteries branch into even smaller ones in the hands, including the palmar arteries. The corresponding veins (they carry the same names as the arteries—for example, the radial vein) take deoxygenated blood away from these sites in paths parallel to the arteries and move it to the heart and lungs, where oxygen stores are then replenished.