Pulse

Question 1

What is the normal pulse range for an adult?

Answer 1

Normal pulse range for an adult:

60 to 100 beats per minute

Question 2

Will a child or infant’s pulse be higher or lower than an adult?

Answer 2

Higher

Question 3

What is the term for a pulse that is lower than 60 beats per minute?

Answer 3

Bradycardia

Question 4

What is tachycardia?

Answer 4

A pulse that is higher than normal, usually considered greater than 100 beats per minute is tachycardia.

Question 5

Why would you never use your thumb to find a pulse?

Answer 5

You would never use your thumb to find a pulse because there is a pulse in your thumb which can be confused with the patients.

Question 6

What does the ‘pulse wave’ represent?

Answer 6

The ‘pulse wave’ represents the stroke volume output and the amount of blood that enters the arteries with each ventricular contraction.

Question 7

What is ‘compliance’?

Answer 7

Compliance is the ability of the arteries to contract and expand.

Question 8

Why does the pressure required to pump blood increase in an older person?

Answer 8

As a person gets older the arteries lose their distensibility and greater pressure is required to pump blood into the arteries.

Question 9

What is cardiac output? Provide the “Equation”?

Answer 9

Cardiac output is the volume of blood pumped into the arteries by the heart.

Cardia Output = Stroke Volume (SV) x Heart Rate (HR)
CO = SV x HR

Question 10

What is stroke volume (SV)?

Answer 10

The amount of blood ejected with every cardia contraction.

Question 11

If the stroke volume is 65 ml and the heart rate is 70 bpm, what is the cardiac output?

Answer 11

CO = SV x HR = 65 ml x 70 bpm = 4.55 L/min.

Question 12

Is pulse and heartbeat rates always the same?

Answer 12

In a healthy person, the pulse rate reflects the heartbeat (i.e. the pulse rate = rate of ventricular contractions of the heart).

But in some cardiovascular diseases the heartbeat and pulse rate can differ.

Question 13

What is a peripheral pulse point?

Answer 13

A peripheral pulse point is a pulse point located away from the heart, for example in the foot, neck or wrist.

Question 14

Is the peripheral pulse point always detectable?

Answer 14

The peripheral pulse point (in the foot, neck or wrist) is not always detectable, for example in a case where the patient’s heart is very weak or has a small pulse wave.

Question 15

What is an apical pulse?

Answer 15

An apical pulse is a central pulse point located at the apex of the heart.

Question 16

What are the different type of pulse sites (9)?

Answer 16

Radial - readily available
Temporal - when radial pulse is unavailable
Carotid - During cardiac arrest/shock in adults this is important to assess to determine brain perfusion
Apical - infants and children up to 3 years of age.
Brachial - blood pressure
Femoral - cardiac arrest, measures blood flow to the extremities
Popliteal - circulation to lower leg
Posterior tibial - circulation to the foot
Dorsalis pedis - circulation to the foot

Question 17

How do you measure pulse at the wrist?

Answer 17

Use two fingers, find the radial pulse along the thumb side of the wrist. Count each pulse for 30 secs while watching the second hand of a watch or clock.
E.g. if you counted 36 pulses, then HR = 36 x 2 = 72 beats per minute.

Question 18

What do you do after you measure pulse?

Answer 18

Record the pulse according to your facility policies.

Question 19

What factors affect the pulse rate?

Answer 19

Age
Gender
Exercise
Fever
Medications
Hypovolemia
Stress
Positional Changes
Pathology

Question 20

What are two main reasons fever affects pulse rate?

Answer 20

Fever increases heart rate mainly due to:

a) response to lowered blood pressure from peripheral vasodilation
b) response to increased metabolic rate.

Question 21

How does gender generally affect pulse rate?

Answer 21

After puberty, the average male’s pulse rate is slightly lower than females.

Question 22

What affect does medication have on heart rate?

Answer 22

Medications can either increase or decrease heart rate.

Question 23

How does Hypovolemia affect heart rate?

Answer 23

Generally loss of blood from the vascular system increases heart rate.

Question 24

What does hypovolemia mean?

Answer 24

A decreased volume of circulating blood in the bod

Question 25

How does stress affect heart rate?

Answer 25

In response to stress, sympathetic nervous stimulation can increase the overall activity of the heart.

Question 26

What is pulse rhythm?

Answer 26

Pulse rhythm refers to the pattern of the beats and the intervals between the beats. Equal time elapses between the beats of a normal pulse.

Question 27

A pulse with an irregular rhythm can be called (give two names)?

Answer 27

A dysrhythmia or arrhythmia.

Question 28

What is pulse pressure (or you know it as blood pressure)?

Answer 28

The difference between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure.