A 49-year-old man is admitted to the emergency department with a cold and pale foot. Physical examination reveals that the patient suffers from peripheral vascular disease and his popliteal artery is occluded and no pulse is felt upon palpation. What is the landmark to feel the pulse of the femoral artery?
The femoral triangle is the best place to palpate the femoral pulse. It is bounded by the sartorius muscle laterally, adductor longus medially, and the inguinal ligament superiorly. It contains the femoral vein, artery, and nerve (from medial to lateral, respectively). The adductor canal lies deep between the anterior and medial compartments of the thigh and therefore cannot be palpated. The popliteal fossa is the fossa at the back of the knee and contains the popliteal artery and vein, tibial nerve, and common fibular (peroneal) nerve. The femoral pulse cannot be palpated here. The inguinal canal is in the pelvis and is in communication with the anterior abdominal wall. It contains the spermatic cord in males and round ligament of the uterus in females.
Adductor canal
Femoral triangle
Popliteal fossa
Inguinal canal
Lower Extremity