The radial artery

Radial artery · arteria radialis

The artery on the thumb side of your wrist where you feel your pulse.

What it does

The radial artery runs down the thumb side of the forearm. At the wrist it lies just under the skin over the end of the radius, then winds around the base of the thumb into the palm, where it joins the arches of the hand.

Surprising fact

Heart specialists now often thread their catheters into the heart through the radial artery at the wrist rather than the groin, because it is easier to stop bleeding there.