Radial Artery - Clinical Significance

Clinical Significance

The artery's pulse is palpable in the anatomical snuff box and on the anterior aspect of the arm over the carpal bones (where it is commonly used to assess the heart rate and cardiac rhythm). Presence of radial pulse has been estimated to indicate a systolic blood pressure of more than 70 mmHg, as estimated from the 50% percentile.

The radial artery is used for coronary artery bypass grafting and is growing in popularity among cardiac surgeons. Recently, it has been shown to have a superior peri-operative and post-operative course when compared to saphenous vein grafts.