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Median cubital vein: anatomy, location and function

A superficial vein across the front of the elbow linking the cephalic and basilic veins. It diverts blood from the cephalic vein into the basilic vein.

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Highlighted in the model: Median cubital vein. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Median cubital vein at a glance

What it is
A superficial vein across the front of the elbow linking the cephalic and basilic veins.
Location
It runs obliquely upward and medially across the cubital fossa from the cephalic to the basilic vein, lying over the bicipital aponeurosis.
Function
It diverts blood from the cephalic vein into the basilic vein.
Body system
Cardiovascular · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA22965 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • It is the most commonly used vein for venipuncture.
  • The bicipital aponeurosis separates it from the brachial artery and median nerve below.

Clinical relevance

It is a preferred site for blood draws and IV access because it is large, superficial and fixed in place.

Structures next to the median cubital vein

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Median cubital vein (FMA22965). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §20.1 Structure and Function of Blood Vessels. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.