Pulse is the measure or sensation of heartbeat. The pulse can be felt by placing the fingers on the radial artery, at a point on the wrist above the thumb. The pulse also can be felt by touching the carotid artery on the sides of the neck. Pulse can be felt at other places on the body where an artery is near the skin surface.
Each heartbeat consists of a contraction of the muscles of the heart. This contraction propels the blood into the arterial system. It is followed by a period of relaxation, during which the heart refills. As the heart contracts, the blood is pumped into the aorta and pulmonary arteries. The aorta, the largest artery in the body, carries oxygenated blood from the left side of the heart to the rest of the body. As the blood enters the aorta, the elastic aorta walls are stretched and the vessel expands. As the blood flows to the arteries that branch off from the aorta, the aorta walls relax and contract to normal size. The walls of the arteries that branch off the aorta also expand and contract as blood flows through them. The expansion of the arteries causes the pulsation (throb) felt as the pulse.
The pulse rate of children is faster—and that of older adults is often slower—than that of the average healthy adult. Pulse rates between 60 and 100 beats per minute are considered normal. Pulse rate normally increases with exercise and with stress. The normal rate for the average adult at rest is 70 to 72 beats per minute. The pulse rate of a newborn infant may be as high as 100 to 180 beats per minute. The normal rate for a seven-year-old child is about 90 beats per minute. Slower resting pulse rates of from 50 to 60 beats per minute are not unusual in highly trained athletes. But regardless of a person’s age, the pulse and heart rhythm should be regular.
A doctor checks a patient’s pulse to see if the heart is beating normally. If the pulse is too fast, too slow, or irregular, further examination is conducted to diagnose the cause of the abnormal pulse.
