brachial pulse

Medical term Routine Blood Collections

The pulse of the brachial artery at the inner elbow. The artery runs near the basilic vein, which is why that vein is the last choice.

Sources

• Anatomy and Physiology 2e, Chapter 20 Key Terms · OpenStax
• WHO Guidelines on Drawing Blood: Best Practices in Phlebotomy (2010); official WHO IRIS PDF, also published as NCBI Bookshelf NBK138650 · World Health Organization
• Nikolac N, Supak-Smolcic V, Simundic AM, Celap I. Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine: national recommendations for venous blood sampling (based on CLSI H3-A6). Biochem Med 2013;23(3):242-254 (PMC3900082) · Biochemia Medica via PubMed Central
• Chang J, et al. Standards and Practice Guidelines for Venous Blood Collection: Consensus Recommendations from the Korean Society for Laboratory Medicine. Ann Lab Med 2025;45(4):343-357 (PMC12187494) · Annals of Laboratory Medicine via PubMed Central

Related terms

• arteryA vessel carrying blood away from the heart under high pressure. It pulses when palpated, which helps the…
• basilic veinVein on the little-finger side of the antecubital area; the last choice, because the brachial artery and…
• pulseThe throb of an artery with each heartbeat. A pulse under the fingertip means an artery is there; do not…
• veinA vessel that carries blood back toward the heart under low pressure. Superficial arm veins are the usual…
• atriumAn upper heart chamber. The right one collects blood coming back from the body; the left one collects…
• bevelThe slanted, sharp tip of a needle. For venipuncture the bevel faces up as the needle enters the vein.
• blood pressurePressure of circulating blood against artery walls, recorded as systolic/diastolic in mm Hg. A cuff used in…
• blood transfer deviceSafety device for moving syringe blood into vacuum tubes; the tube vacuum draws the blood in, so the plunger…
• calcaneusThe heel bone. An infant heel puncture that reaches it can cause bone infection (osteomyelitis).
• capillaryThe smallest blood vessel, where oxygen, nutrients and wastes pass between blood and tissue. A skin puncture…

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