The femoral artery is a main artery in the body that runs from the external iliac artery, near the stomach, all the way down both legs. It carries oxygen, among many other things, to the lower half of the body. Vital to the vascular survival of a person, if cut, an average person will typically bleed to death within 10 or 15 minutes without immediate medical intervention. Whenever the femoral artery is injured, it becomes a life and death situation instantaneously. The same actually holds true for all arteries, because they carry much of the body's blood supply.

The femoral artery intersects with the femoral vein and the femoral nerve in a triangular shaped region located on the upper thigh next to the groin area. This area is known as Scarpa's triangle, named so in 1823 by the Italian surgeon Antonio Scarpa. Also called the femoral triangle by some medical professionals, this region serves as an anatomical landmark for surgeons and other physicians. Using the femoral triangle as a reference point enables surgeons to make more accurate incisions, as well as prevent injury to the femoral region during surgery. The femoral pulse is also taken from the femoral triangle region.

Due to its ready access to the body's vascular system, the femoral artery is often the location used by embalmers to introduce preservative chemicals into the human body after death. This helps delay the decomposition process. The body's blood supply, however, is typically drained from the jugular vein, not from any of the arteries.

Embalmers are not the only ones who take advantage of the easy access the femoral artery provides. In the United States alone, nearly all cardiac catheters are inserted into the femoral artery near the groin region. Although it has been safely performed this way for many years, the medical profession is developing new methods of administering cardiac catheters without using the femoral artery. This is due to the injuries that can occur to that area of the groin after constant pressure is applied to stop the arterial bleeding following catheterization.

Intra-arterial chemotherapy has also been used as a delivery method for cancer medications. The benefit of being able to introduce chemotherapy drugs directly into the main arterial blood stream has been realized by many cancer patients.

The femoral artery is both vital to the human body and fragile at the same time. It can serve as an ally to medical professionals during a life-threatening crisis, or it can cause a person to lose their life within a very short period of time.