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Pulse

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	Topics Pulse Topic Home In medicineFacts About Medicine Medicine is the branch of health science and the sector of public life concerned with maintaining or restoring human health ... , a person's pulse is the throbbing of their arteriesArtery For other uses see Artery Arteries are muscular blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart.... as an effect of the heartHeart The heart is a hollow, muscular organ in vertebrates, responsible for pumping blood through the blood vessels by repeated, r... beat. It can be felt in any place that allows for an artery to be compressed against a bone, such as at the neckFacts About Neck The neck is the part of the body on many limbed vertebrates that distinguishes the head from the torso or trunk.... (carotid artery), at the wristWrist \|\|-\|In human anatomy, the wrist is the flexible and narrower connection between the forearm and the hand.... (radial artery), behind the kneeKnee Summary In human anatomy, the knee is the lower extremity joint connecting the femur and the tibia.... , on the inside of the elbow (brachial artery), and near the ankle joint (posterior tibial artery). The pulse rate can also be measured by measuring the heart beats directly (the apical pulse). Pressure waves move the artery walls, which are pliable; these waves are not caused by the forward movement of the bloodBlood Blood is a highly specialised circulating tissue consisting of several types of cell suspended in a fluid medium known as pl... . When the heart contracts, blood is ejected into the aortaAorta The aorta is the largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and bringing oxygenated... and the aorta stretches. At this point, the wave of distention (pulse wave) is pronounced but relatively slow-moving (3–6 m/s). As it travels towards the peripheral blood vessels, it gradually diminishes and becomes faster. In the large arterial branches, its velocity is 7–10 m/s; in the small arteries, it is 15–35 m/s. The pressure pulse is transmitted fifteen or more times more rapidly than the blood flowBlood flow Blood flow is the flow of blood in the cardiovascular system.... . Pulse is also used, although incorrectly, to denote the frequency of the heart beat, usually measured in beats per minuteBeats per minute Beats per minute is a unit typically used as either a measure of tempo in music, or a measure of one's heart rate.... . In most people, the pulse is an accurate measure of heart rateHeart rate Heart rate is a term used to describe the frequency of the cardiac cycle.... . Under certain circumstances, including arrhythmias, some of the heart beats are ineffective, and the aorta is not stretched enough to create a palpable pressure wave. The pulse is too irregular and the heart rate can be (much) higher than the pulse rate. In this case, the heart rate should be determined by auscultationAuscultation Auscultation is the technical term for listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope.... of the heart apex, in which case it is not the pulse. The pulse deficit (difference between heart beats and pulsations at the periphery) should be determined by simultaneous palpationPalpation Palpation is a method of examination in which the examiner feels the size or shape or firmness or location of something.... at the radial arteryRadial artery In human anatomy, the radial artery is the main blood vessel, with oxygenated blood, of the lateral aspect of the forearm.... and auscultation at the heart apex. A normal pulse rate for a healthHealth Health is the functional and/or metabolic efficiency of an organism, at any moment in time, at both the cellular and global ... y adult, while resting, can range from 60 to 100 beats per minute (BPM), although well conditioned athletes may have a healthy pulse rate lower than 60 BPM. BradycardiaBradycardia Overview Bradycardia , as applied in adult medicine, is defined as a resting heart rate of under 60 beats per minute, though it is se... occurs when the pulse rate is below 60 per minute, whereas tachycardiaTachycardia Tachycardia is an abnormally rapid beating of the heart, defined as a resting heart rate of 100 or more beats per minute in ... occurs when the rate is above 100 BPM. During sleep, this can drop to as low as 40 BPM; during strenuous exercise, it can rise as high as 150–200 BPM. Generally, pulse rates are higher in infants and young children. The resting heart rate for an infant is usually close to an adult's pulse rate during strenuous exercise (average 110 BPM for an infant). A collapsing pulse is a sign of hyperdynamic circulationHyperdynamic circulation Hyperdyamic circulation is an increase in pulse pressure and blood pressure caused by certain physiological and psychiatric ... . Common pulse sites Apical pulse: located in the 4th or 5th left intercostal space, just to the left of the sternumSternum The sternum or breastbone is a long, flat bone located in the center of the thorax.... . In contrast with other pulse sites, the apical pulse site is unilateral, and measured not over an artery, but over the heartHeart The heart is a hollow, muscular organ in vertebrates, responsible for pumping blood through the blood vessels by repeated, r... itself (more specifically, the apex of the heart). Brachial pulse: located between the biceps and triceps, on the medial sideAnatomical terms of location In human and zoological anatomy, several terms are used to describe the location of organs and other structures in the body of bil... of the elbow cavity, frequently used in place of carotid pulse in infants Carotid pulse: located in the neck. The carotid artery should be palpated gently and while the patient is sitting or lying down. Stimulating its baroreceptors with vigorous palpitation can provoke severe bradycardiaBradycardia Bradycardia , as applied in adult medicine, is defined as a resting heart rate of under 60 beats per minute, though it is se... or even stop the heart in some sensitive persons. Also, a person's two carotid arteries should not be palpated at the same time. Doing so may limit the flow of blood to the head, possibly leading to faintingFainting Fainting or syncope is a sudden loss of consciousness due to a lack of sufficient blood and oxygen reaching the brai... or brain ischemiaIschemia In medicine, ischemia is a restriction in blood supply, generally due to factors in the blood vessels, with resultant da... . It can be felt between the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, above the hyoid bone and lateral to the thyroid cartilage. Dorsalis pedis pulse: located on top of the foot. Facial pulse: located on the mandible (lower jawbone) on a line with the corners of the mouth. Femoral pulse: located in the thigh, halfway between the pubic symphysis and anterior superior iliac spine. Popliteal pulse: located behind the knee in the popliteal fossa, found by holding the bent knee. The patient bends the knee at approximately 120°, and the physician holds it in both hands to find the popliteal artery in the pit behind the knee. Radial pulse: located on the thumb side of the wrist. It can also be found in the anatomical snuff boxAnatomical snuff box The anatomical snuffbox, or radial fossa,, is a triangular deepening on the radial, dorsal aspect of the hand - at the... . Temporal pulse: located on the templeTemple (anatomy) Temple indicates the side of the head behind the eyes.... directly in front of the ear. Tibialis posterior pulse: located on the medial side of the ankle (facing inwards) behind the medial malleolus. Ulnar pulse: located on the little finger side of the wrist(ulnar arteryUlnar artery The ulnar artery is the main blood vessel, with oxygenated blood, of the medial aspect of the forearm.... ). The ease of palpability of a pulse is dictated by the patient's blood pressureBlood pressure Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vessels.... . If his or her systolic blood pressure is below 80 mmHg, the radial pulse will not be palpable. Below 70 mmHg, the brachial pulse will not be palpable. Below 60 mmHg, the carotid pulse will not be palpable. However, a study by the National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the prim... indicated that this method was not accurate enough and often overestimated a patient's systolic blood pressure. The lack of a palpable carotid pulse is often an indication of death. Reading a pulse Pulses are manually palpated with fingers. When palpating the carotid arteryCarotid artery In human anatomy, the carotid artery refers to a number of major arteries in the head and neck:... , the femoral arteryFemoral artery In anatomy, the femoral artery is a large artery in the muscles of the thigh. ... or the brachial arteryBrachial artery The brachial artery is the major blood vessel of the upper arm.... , the thumb may be used. However, the thumb has its own pulse which can interfere with detecting the patient's pulse at other points, where two or three fingers should be used. Fingers or the thumb must be placed near an artery and pressed gently against a firm structure, usually a boneBone Bone, also called osseous tissue, is a type of hard endoskeletal connective tissue found in many vertebrate animals.... , in order to feel the pulse. Make sure the person is calm and has been resting for 5 minutes before reading the pulse. Put the index and middle fingers over the pulse count, and count for 30 seconds, and afterwards multiply by 2, to get the pulse rate. If the person's pulse rate is irregular, count for a full minute, and do not multiply. Averaging multiple readings may give a more representative figure. Home blood pressureBlood pressure Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vessels.... measurement devices also typically give a pulse reading. See also Pulsus paradoxusPulsus paradoxus In medicine, a pulsus paradoxus, also paradoxic pulse and paradoxical pulse, is an exaggeration of the normal v... Heart rateHeart rate Heart rate is a term used to describe the frequency of the cardiac cycle.... c cycle....