Pulse

• Pulse: The pressure of the blood pushing against the wall of an artery as the heart beats and rests

• Most easily felt in arteries which lie close to the skin and can be pressed against a bone

Major Arterial or Pulse Sites

• Temporal• Carotid• Brachial• Radial• Femoral• Popliteal• Dorsalis Pedis

Pulse Rate

• Beats per minute• Varies with age, sex, and body size• Norms:– Adults : 60-90 bpm– Children over 7 : 70-90 bpm– Children from 1-7: 80-110 bpm– Infants: 100-160 bpm

• Bradycardia: < 60 bpm• Tachycardia: >100 bpm (except in

children)

Document

• Rate• Rhythm: Is pulse regular or irregular• Volume: strong, weak, thready,

bounding

• P= 82 strong and regular. Lynda Durant, RN

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k27S5j48IZw

• Let’s Practice!