Pulse Flashcards
It is a wave of blood created by contraction of the left ventricle of the heart.
Pulse
It is a wave of blood created by contraction of the left ventricle of the heart.
Pulse
It is the volume of blood pumped into the arteries by the heart and equals the result of the stroke volume (SV) times the heart rate (HR) per minute.
Cardiac output
It is a pulse located away from the heart, for example, in the foot or wrist.
Peripheral pulse
It is a central pulse; that is, it is located at the apex of the heart. It is also referred to as the point of maximal impulse (PMI).
Apical pulse
How is the rate of the pulse expressed?
Beats per minute (beats/min)
What is the normal range of pulse for adults?
60-100 beats/min
What are the nine sites in which the pulse can be measured?
Temporal Carotid Apical Brachial Radial Femoral Popliteal Posterior tibial Dorsalis pedis
It is the pulse where the temporal artery passes over the temporal bone of the head. The site is superior (above) and lateral to (away from the midline of) the eye.
Temporal
It is the pulse at the side of the neck where the carotid artery runs between the trachea and the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
Carotid
It is the pulse at the apex of the heart.
Apical
It is the pulse at at the inner aspect of the biceps muscle of the arm or medially in the antecubital space.
Brachial
It is the pulse where the radial artery runs along the radial bone, on the thumb side of the inner aspect of the wrist.
Radial
It is the pulse where the femoral artery passes alongside the inguinal ligament.
Femoral
It is the pulse where the popliteal artery passes behind the knee.
Popliteal
It is the pulse on the medial surface of the ankle where the posterior tibial artery passes behind the medial malleolus.
Posterior tibial
It is the pulse where the dorsalis pedis artery passes over the bones of the foot, on an imaginary line drawn from the middle of the ankle to the space between the big and second toes.
Dorsalis pedis
What is the pulse site that is commonly used in adults?
Radial
The three middle fingertips are used for palpating all pulse sites except for what?
The apex of the heart, which is the apical pulse
What is used for assessing the apical pulse?
Stethoscope
It is the volume of blood pumped into the arteries by the heart and equals the result of the stroke volume (SV) times the heart rate (HR) per minute.
Cardiac output
It is a pulse located
away from the heart, for example, in the foot or wrist.
Peripheral pulse
It is a central pulse; that is, it is located at the apex of the heart. It is also referred to as the point of maximal impulse (PMI).
Apical pulse
How is the rate of the pulse expressed?
Beats per minute (beats/min)
What is the normal range of pulse for adults?
60-100 beats/min
What are the nine sites in which the pulse can be measured?
Temporal Carotid Apical Brachial Radial Femoral Popliteal Posterior tibial Dorsalis pedis
It is the pulse where the temporal artery passes over the temporal bone of the head. The site is superior (above) and lateral to (away from the midline of) the eye.
Temporal
It is the pulse at the side of the neck where the carotid artery runs between the trachea and the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
Carotid
It is the pulse at the apex of the heart.
Apical
It is the pulse at at the inner aspect of the biceps muscle of the arm or medially in the antecubital space.
Brachial
It is the pulse where the radial artery runs along the radial bone, on the thumb side of the inner aspect of the wrist.
Radial
It is the pulse where the femoral artery passes alongside the inguinal ligament.
Femoral
It is the pulse where the popliteal artery passes behind the knee.
Popliteal
It is the pulse on the medial surface of the ankle where the posterior tibial artery passes behind the medial malleolus.
Posterior tibial
It is the pulse where the dorsalis pedis artery passes over the bones of the foot, on an imaginary line drawn from the middle of the ankle to the space between the big and second toes.
Dorsalis pedis
What is the pulse site that is commonly used in adults?
Radial
The three middle fingertips are used for palpating all pulse sites except for what?
The apex of the heart, which is the apical pulse
What is used for assessing the apical pulse?
Stethoscope
What is used for pulses that are difficult to assess?
Doppler ultrasound stethoscope
What is an excessively fast heart rate (over 100 beats/min in an adult)?
Tachycardia
What is a heart rate of an adult of less than 60 beats/min?
Bradycardia
It is the pattern of the beats and the intervals between the beats
Pulse rhythm
It a pulse with an irregular rhythm.
Dysrhythmia or arrhythmia
It refers to the force of blood with each beat.
Pulse volume (also called pulse strength or amplitude)
A pulse that can be felt with moderate pressure of the fingers and can be obliterated with greater pressure.
Normal pulse
A pulse that is forceful or full blood volume that
is obliterated only with difficulty
Full or bounding pulse
A pulse that is readily obliterated with pressure from the fingers is referred to as what?
Week, feeble, or thready
Why do we not use the thumb when we assess the pulse?
Using the thumb is contraindicated because the nurse’s thumb has a pulse that could be mistaken for the client’s pulse.
Why do we apply transmission gel when using a Doppler ultrasound stethoscope?
Ultrasound beams do not travel well through air. The gel makes an airtight seal, which then promotes optimal ultrasound wave transmission.
The assessment of this pulse is indicated for clients whose peripheral pulse is irregular or unavailable and for clients with known cardiovascular, pulmonary, and renal diseases.
Apical pulse
The pulse assessment needed to be assessed for clients with certain cardiovascular disorders.
Apical-radial pulse
