Superficial palmar arch and digital arteries
Arcus palmaris superficialis; arteriae digitales palmares
CardiovascularBlood vesselsArmLeft and right
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- What it is
- An arterial arcade in the palm, level with the outstretched thumb's web, formed mainly by the ulnar artery and completed by a branch of the radial artery; common palmar digital arteries run from it to the finger webs and divide into proper digital arteries along each finger.
- Function
- Supplies the palm and the fingers (with the deep palmar arch as a parallel back-up).
- Size
- Arch ~1.5 mm diameter; digital arteries ~1 mm.
- Clinical note
- Lies just beneath the palmar aponeurosis, so deep palm cuts can bleed briskly from both ends because of the double supply.