The Anatomy of Femoral Vascular Access — Taming the SRU (2024)

FAQs

What is the anatomy of the femoral artery access? ›

The relevant anatomy for femoral arterial or venous access is that of the femoral triangle (See Figure 1), a subfascial space in the anterior thigh with the following boundaries: Superior - Inguinal ligament. Lateral – Medial border of the sartorius muscle. Medial – Lateral border of the adductor longus muscle.

Mnemonics to recall the order of the femoral vessels and nerve as they emerge from beneath the inguinal ligament into the femoral triangle are: NAVY. NAVEL.

The location of the femoral artery is at the top of your thigh in an area called the femoral triangle. The triangle is just below your groin, which is the crease where your abdomen ends and your legs begin. The femoral artery runs to the lower thigh and ends behind the knee.

Retrograde and antegrade CFA punctures are both commonly used, and in each case the optimal technique is a single anterior wall puncture in the mid-CFA well above the femoral bifurcation and below the origin of the inferior epigastric artery.