Union of brachiocephalic veins

The union of the brachiocephalic veins is the anatomic confluence that forms the superior vena cava (SVC). The right and left brachiocephalic (innominate) veins join just behind the sternal end of the right first costal cartilage—close to the right border of the sternum, below the cartilage of the first rib—to form the SVC, which carries venous return from the head, neck, and upper limbs into the right atrium.