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Brachiocephalic artery

The brachiocephalic artery, also called the brachiocephalic trunk or innominate artery, is the first branch of the aortic arch. It divides into the right subclavian artery and the right common carotid artery. (StatPearls, Thorax, Brachiocephalic (Right Innominate) Arteries and Thorax, Heart Aorta; OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5)

FMA3932 · Cardiovascular system

The great vessels from the front, all faded except the brachiocephalic artery, highlighted rising on the right from the arch of aorta.
The brachiocephalic artery in place, seen from the front. Render: ScienceQuest, CC BY 4.0. Meshes: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0
The brachiocephalic artery on its own, seen from the front.
The brachiocephalic artery alone, seen from the front. Render: ScienceQuest, CC BY 4.0. Meshes: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0

Open it in the Great Vessels Explorer See it alone in 3D

Where is the brachiocephalic artery?

It lies on the right side only; the left has no matching artery. It arises to the right of, and in front of, the left common carotid artery. (OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5; StatPearls, Thorax, Brachiocephalic (Right Innominate) Arteries)

It is short: it runs up and back from the arch and divides at about the level of the sternoclavicular joint. On the way it crosses in front of the trachea from left to right, typically around the ninth tracheal ring, though a crossing anywhere from about the sixth to the thirteenth ring is not unusual. (StatPearls, Thorax, Brachiocephalic (Right Innominate) Arteries)

What does the brachiocephalic artery supply?

Through its two branches it supplies the head, neck and right upper limb. (OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5; StatPearls, Thorax, Brachiocephalic (Right Innominate) Arteries)

The right subclavian artery supplies the whole right upper limb and, through the right vertebral artery, part of the head. The right common carotid divides into the external and internal carotid arteries. (StatPearls, Thorax, Brachiocephalic (Right Innominate) Arteries)

What lies around the brachiocephalic artery?

The thymus usually sits on top of it and separates it from the back of the manubrium. (StatPearls, Thorax, Brachiocephalic (Right Innominate) Arteries)

The vagus nerve runs in front of its bifurcation, and the right recurrent laryngeal nerve hooks back behind it. (StatPearls, Thorax, Brachiocephalic (Right Innominate) Arteries)

The right brachiocephalic vein, 2 to 3 cm long, lies close to it. (StatPearls, Thorax, Brachiocephalic (Innominate) Veins)

How does the brachiocephalic artery vary?

The commonest variant is the bovine arch, in about 14% of people: both carotids and the right subclavian share one trunk, so the brachiocephalic artery has three branches. StatPearls (Abdominal Aorta) calls the name a misnomer, since cattle branch differently. (StatPearls, Thorax, Brachiocephalic (Right Innominate) Arteries and Abdomen and Pelvis: Abdominal Aorta)

A high riding brachiocephalic artery, with a late origin or a late split, can sit in the neck. (StatPearls, Thorax, Mediastinum Superior and Great Vessels)

The brachiocephalic artery at a glance
Feature Detail and source
Arises from Arch of aorta, first branch (OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5; StatPearls, Thorax, Heart Aorta)
Divides into Right subclavian artery and right common carotid artery (OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5; StatPearls, Thorax, Heart Aorta)
Divides at About the level of the sternoclavicular joint (StatPearls, Thorax, Brachiocephalic (Right Innominate) Arteries)

Touches in this model

Measured on the BodyParts3D meshes: surfaces within 2 mm of the brachiocephalic artery, nearest first.

Sources

  1. StatPearls, Anatomy, Thorax, Brachiocephalic (Right Innominate) Arteries. Bryce A. Dugas; Navdeep S. Samra. Last update August 7, 2023. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
  2. OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, section 20.5, Circulatory Pathways. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
  3. StatPearls, Anatomy, Thorax, Heart Aorta. James S. Shahoud; Julia H. Miao; Srinivasa Rao Bolla. Last update July 24, 2023. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
  4. StatPearls, Anatomy, Thorax, Brachiocephalic (Innominate) Veins. Bruno Bordoni; Adekunle E. Omole. Last update December 9, 2025. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
  5. StatPearls, Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Abdominal Aorta. Clement T. Tran; Cheng Ying Wu; Stephen J. Bordes; Forshing Lui. Last update July 25, 2023. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
  6. StatPearls, Anatomy, Thorax, Mediastinum Superior and Great Vessels. Shuja Rizvi; Chase J. Wehrle; Mark A. Law. Last update July 24, 2023. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.

The values are facts and free to use; this page’s selection and presentation are © 2026 ScienceQuest.