pulse rate

(noun)

The physical expansion of an artery per unit of time, usually expressed as beats per minute.

Related Terms

  • radial artery
  • carotid artery
  • brachial artery
  • popliteal artery
  • heart rate

Examples of pulse rate in the following topics:

  • Pulse

    • Pulse is a measurement of heart rate by touching and counting beats at several body locations, typically at the wrist radial artery.
    • Pulse is often used as an equivalent of heart rate due to the relative ease of measurement; heart rate can be measured by listening to the heart directly through the chest, traditionally using a stethoscope.
    • Pulse varies with age; a newborn or infant can have a heart rate of about 130-150 bpm.
    • The heart rate may be greater or less than the pulse rate depending upon physiologic demand.
    • In this case, the heart rate is determined by auscultation or audible sounds at the heart apex, not the pulse.
  • Checking Circulation

    • While a simple pulse rate measurement can be achieved by anyone, trained medical staff are capable of much more accurate measurements.
    • Where more accurate or long-term measurements are required, pulse rate, pulse deficits, and much more physiologic data are readily visualized by the use of one or more arterial catheters connected to a transducer and oscilloscope.
    • The rate of the pulse is observed and measured by tactile or visual means on the outside of an artery and recorded as beats per minute (BPM).
    • Heart rate can be measured by listening to the heart directly though the chest, traditionally using a stethoscope.
    • Along with body temperature, respiratory rate, and pulse rate, blood pressure is one of the four main vital signs routinely monitored by medical professionals and healthcare providers.
  • Cardiac Cycle

    • Heart rate is a term used to describe the frequency of the cardiac cycle.
    • These properties allow the arterial wall to distend when pressure increases, resulting in a pulse that can be detected by touch.
    • Exercise, environmental stress, or psychological stress can cause the heart rate to increase above the resting rate.
    • The pulse is the most straightforward way of measuring the heart rate, but it can be a crude and inaccurate measurement when cardiac output is low.
    • In these cases (as happens in some arrhythmias), there is little pressure change and no corresponding change in pulse, and the heart rate may be considerably higher than the measured pulse.
  • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

    • CPR involves chest compressions at least 5 cm deep and at a rate of at least 100 per minute in an effort to create artificial circulation by manually pumping blood through the heart.
    • If a person still has a pulse, but is not breathing (respiratory arrest), artificial respirations may be more appropriate, but due to the difficulty people have in accurately assessing the presence or absence of a pulse, CPR guidelines recommend that lay persons should not be instructed to check the pulse, while giving health care professionals the option to check a pulse.
    • A 1996 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that CPR success rates in television shows were 75% for immediate circulation, and 67% survival to discharge.
    • When educated on the actual survival rates, the proportion of patients over 60 years of age desiring CPR should they suffer a cardiac arrest drops from 41% to 22%.
  • Signs and Symptoms of Shock

    • Typical symptoms of shock include elevated but weak heart rate, low blood pressure, and poor organ function, typically observed as low urine output, confusion or loss of consciousness.
    • While a fast heart rate is common, those on beta blockers and those who are athletic may have a normal or slow heart rate.
    • This leads to a rapid, weak pulse due to decreased blood flow combined with tachycardia, stimulation of vasoconstriction, and cool, clammy skin.
    • With anaphylaxis, hives may present on the skin, and there may localized edema, especially around the face, and weak and rapid pulse.
    • The symptoms of neurogenic shock are distinct from those of classical shock, as the heart rate slows and and superficial vessels vasodilate and warm the skin.
  • Media Types and Scheduling

    • Product categories that are sold year round but experience a surge in sales at intermittent periods are good candidates for pulsing.
    • The classic scheduling models are continuity, flighting, and pulsing.
    • For instance, all of 2000 Target Rating Pioneered in a single month, "going dark" for the rest of the year.
    • Pulsing combines flighting and continuous scheduling by using a low advertising level all year round and heavy advertising during peak selling periods.
    • Product categories that are sold year round but experience a surge in sales at intermittent periods are good candidates for pulsing.
  • Meter

    • Meter involves the way multiple pulse layers work together to organize music in time.
    • Duple, triple, and quadruple classifications result from the relationship between the counting pulse and the pulses that are slower than the counting pulse.
    • In other words, it is a question of grouping: how many beats (secondary pulse) occur in each bar (primary pulse).
    • If counting-pulse beats group into twos, we have duple meter; groups of three, triple meter; groups of four, quadruple meter.
    • Simple and compound classifications result from the relationship between the counting pulse and the pulses that are faster than the counting pulse.
  • NMR and MRIs

    • Hydrogen protons in different tissues return to their equilibrium state at different relaxation rates.
    • The strong magnetic fields and radio pulses can, however, affect metal implants (including cochlear implants and cardiac pacemakers).
  • Introduction to Blood Pressure

    • The rate of mean blood flow depends on the resistance to flow presented by the blood vessels.
    • Blood pressure and pulse, or the vital signs, are measured as indicators of several aspects of cardiovascular health.
  • Rhythm

    • Beat - Beat also has more than one meaning, but always refers to music with a steady pulse.
    • It may refer to the pulse itself (as in "play this note on beat two of the measure").
    • On the beat or on the downbeat refer to the moment when the pulse is strongest.
    • Off the beat is in between pulses, and the upbeat is exactly halfway between pulses.
    • Beat may also refer to a specific repetitive rhythmic pattern that maintains the pulse (as in "it has a Latin beat").
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