{"id":84,"date":"2018-01-01T18:44:23","date_gmt":"2018-01-01T23:44:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/vitalsignh5p\/chapter\/what-is-pulse\/"},"modified":"2020-10-27T20:49:34","modified_gmt":"2020-10-28T00:49:34","slug":"what-is-pulse","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/vitalsignh5p\/chapter\/what-is-pulse\/","title":{"raw":"What is Pulse?","rendered":"What is Pulse?"},"content":{"raw":"Pulse refers to a pressure wave that expands and recoils the artery when the heart contracts\/beats. It is palpated at many points throughout the body. The most common locations to accurately assess pulse as part of vital sign measurement include radial<\/strong>, brachial<\/strong>, carotid<\/strong>, and apical pulse<\/strong>\u00a0as shown in Figure 3.1<\/strong>.\u00a0The techniques vary according to the location, as detailed later.\r\n
\"Landmarks<\/div>\r\nFigure 3.1:<\/strong> Radial, brachial, carotid and apical pulse (Illustration credit: Hilary Tang)\r\n\r\nThe heart pumps a volume of blood per contraction into the aorta. This volume is referred to as stroke volume. Age is one factor that influences stroke volume, which ranges from 5\u201380 mL from newborns to older adults.\r\n\r\nPulse is measured in beats per minute, and the normal adult pulse rate (heart rate) at rest is 60\u2013100 beats per minute (OER #1, OER #2). Newborn resting heart rates range from 100\u2013175 bpm. Heart rate gradually decreases until young adulthood and then gradually increases again with age (OER #2). A pregnant women\u2019s heart rate is slightly higher than her pre-pregnant value (about 15 beats). See Table 3.1<\/strong> for normal heart rate ranges based on age.\r\n

Table 3.1: Heart Rate Ranges<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Age<\/strong><\/th>\r\nHeart rate (beats per minute)<\/strong><\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Newborn to one month<\/td>\r\n100\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u2013175<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
One month to two years<\/td>\r\n90\u00ad\u2013160<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Age 2\u20136 years<\/td>\r\n70\u2013150<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Age 7\u201311 years<\/td>\r\n60\u2013130<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Age 12\u201318 years<\/td>\r\n50\u2013110<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Adult and older adult<\/td>\r\n60\u2013100<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n
\r\n

Points to Consider<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThe ranges noted in Table 3.1 are generous<\/strong>. It is important to consider each client and situation to determine whether the heart rate is normal. For example, heart rate is considered in the context of a client's baseline heart rate. The healthcare provider also considers the client\u2019s health and illness state and determinants such as rest\/sleep, awake\/active, and presence of pain. You can expect higher pulse values when a client is in a stressed state such as when crying or in pain; this is particularly important in the newborn. It is best to complete the assessment when the client is in a resting state. If you obtain a pulse when the client is not in a resting state, document the circumstances (e.g. stress, crying, or pain) and reassess as needed.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
Please answer the two questions in the following question set.<\/h5>\r\n[h5p id=\"69\"]\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n_________________________________________________________________________\r\nPart of this content was adapted from OER #1 (as noted in brackets above):\r\n\u00a9 2015 British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). Clinical Procedures for Safer Patient Care by Glynda Rees Doyle and Jodie Anita McCutcheon, British Columbia Institute of Technology. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download this book for free at http:\/\/open.bccampus.ca\r\n\r\nPart of this content was adapted from OER #2 (as noted in brackets above):\r\n\u00a9 Apr 10, 2017 OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology. Textbook content produced by OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 license. Download for free at http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/7c42370b-c3ad-48ac-9620-d15367b882c6@12","rendered":"

Pulse refers to a pressure wave that expands and recoils the artery when the heart contracts\/beats. It is palpated at many points throughout the body. The most common locations to accurately assess pulse as part of vital sign measurement include radial<\/strong>, brachial<\/strong>, carotid<\/strong>, and apical pulse<\/strong>\u00a0as shown in Figure 3.1<\/strong>.\u00a0The techniques vary according to the location, as detailed later.<\/p>\n

\"Landmarks<\/div>\n

Figure 3.1:<\/strong> Radial, brachial, carotid and apical pulse (Illustration credit: Hilary Tang)<\/p>\n

The heart pumps a volume of blood per contraction into the aorta. This volume is referred to as stroke volume. Age is one factor that influences stroke volume, which ranges from 5\u201380 mL from newborns to older adults.<\/p>\n

Pulse is measured in beats per minute, and the normal adult pulse rate (heart rate) at rest is 60\u2013100 beats per minute (OER #1, OER #2). Newborn resting heart rates range from 100\u2013175 bpm. Heart rate gradually decreases until young adulthood and then gradually increases again with age (OER #2). A pregnant women\u2019s heart rate is slightly higher than her pre-pregnant value (about 15 beats). See Table 3.1<\/strong> for normal heart rate ranges based on age.<\/p>\n

Table 3.1: Heart Rate Ranges<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Age<\/strong><\/th>\nHeart rate (beats per minute)<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Newborn to one month<\/td>\n100\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u2013175<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
One month to two years<\/td>\n90\u00ad\u2013160<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Age 2\u20136 years<\/td>\n70\u2013150<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Age 7\u201311 years<\/td>\n60\u2013130<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Age 12\u201318 years<\/td>\n50\u2013110<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Adult and older adult<\/td>\n60\u2013100<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n

Points to Consider<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The ranges noted in Table 3.1 are generous<\/strong>. It is important to consider each client and situation to determine whether the heart rate is normal. For example, heart rate is considered in the context of a client’s baseline heart rate. The healthcare provider also considers the client\u2019s health and illness state and determinants such as rest\/sleep, awake\/active, and presence of pain. You can expect higher pulse values when a client is in a stressed state such as when crying or in pain; this is particularly important in the newborn. It is best to complete the assessment when the client is in a resting state. If you obtain a pulse when the client is not in a resting state, document the circumstances (e.g. stress, crying, or pain) and reassess as needed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Please answer the two questions in the following question set.<\/h5>\n
\n