Physical Exam

Brachial Artery Palpation

🎬

Video coming September 2026

How to Perform

With the patient's arm slightly flexed, palpate the brachial artery with the pads of two fingers along the medial upper arm in the groove between biceps and triceps or in the antecubital fossa just medial to the biceps tendon. Assess the strength and contour of the pulse.

How to Interpret

This test’s findings are all below your current evidence filter.

References

Leach RM, McBrien DJ. Brachioradial delay: a new clinical indicator of the severity of aortic stenosis. Lancet. 1990;335(8699):1199-1201. doi:10.1016/0140-6736(90)92709-Q. PMID: 1971044.
Etchells E, Bell C, Robb K. Does this patient have an abnormal systolic murmur? JAMA. 1997;277(7):564-571. PMID: 9032164.
Schaefer S, Malloy CR, Schmitz JM, Dehmer GJ. Clinical and hemodynamic characteristics of patients with inducible pulsus alternans. Am Heart J. 1988;115(6):1251-1257. PMID: 3376843.
Babu AN, Kymes SM, Fryer SM. Eponyms and the diagnosis of aortic regurgitation: what says the evidence? Ann Intern Med. 2003;138(9):736-742. PMID: 12729428.
Bickley LS, Szilagyi PG, Hoffman RM, Soriano RP. Bates' Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer; 2021.
Swartz MH. Textbook of Physical Diagnosis: History and Examination. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025.

Research last updated September 9, 2026.