median cubital vein

Examples of median cubital vein in the following topics:

• Veins of the Upper Limbs

  • The major deep veins of the arm are the radial and ulnar veins, which run along the length of their respective bones and merge at the elbow to form the paired brachial vein.
  • The major superficial veins of the upper limb are the cephalic, median cubital and basilic veins.
  • The basilic vein follows a similar path but is located medially to the cephalic vein.
  • At the elbow, the basilic and cephalic veins are linked by the median cubital vein, from which blood is often drawn.
  • At the shoulder, the basilic vein passes deep into the arm and merges with the brachial veins to form the axillary vein, to which the cephaliac vein merges, forming the subclavian vein.

• Diagnostic Blood Tests

  • Blood tests are laboratory analyses performed on a blood sample typically taken from a vein in the arm for diagnostic purposes.
  • Blood is most commonly obtained from the median cubital vein, which lies within the cubital fossa anterior to the elbow.
  • This vein lies close to the surface of the skin, and there is not a large nerve supply.
  • If only a few drops of blood are needed, a fingerstick is performed instead of drawing blood from a vein.
  • Phlebotomy (incision into a vein) is also the treatment for certain diseases such as hemochromatosis and primary and secondary polycythemia.

• Thoracic Aorta

  • At its commencement, the thoracic aorta is situated on the left of the vertebral column; it approaches the median line as it descends, and at its termination lies directly in front of the column.
  • The thoracic aorta's relation, from above downward, is as follows: anteriorly with the root of the left lung, the pericardium, the esophagus and the diaphragm; posteriorly with the vertebral column; on the right side with the hemiazygos veins and thoracic duct; and on the left side with the left pleura and lung.