

Ask your patient to sit still and keep them calm, this will make palpating a radial pulse much easier.Record your findings on the patient record eg: highlighting any abnormal findings. Edinburgh: Elsvier Churchill Livingstone) (Douglas G, Nicol EF, Robertson C, et al, 2005. If a thready/ weak pulse is palpated your patient is likely to have low blood pressure and feel and look generally unwell. A weak pulse would be hard to palpate and may occur as a result of poor cardiac output for numerous reasons such as hypovolaemia/ shock. The volume reflects the strength of the pulse, a pulse that is palpated and described as bounding could be associated with high cardiac output such as when we exercise, are stressed or hot for example. Again, this irregularity should be noted. The rhythm should be regular and if not, then this should be noted, this may be normal for a patient who has been diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia that is known to disrupt the regularity of the normal rhythm of the heart. Therefore, it is helpful to know what the normal heart rate is and in an adult patient you would be expecting a range of 60-100 (Allan 2004). When you palpate a radial pulse, you are feeling for the rate, rhythm and volume. Palpate the radial pulse for 60seconds – if the pulse rate is regular you can count for 15 secs and x4 to get the beats per minute (BPM).Place the first, second and third finger along the artery and apply gentle pressure until you feel the pulse.ĭO NOT – push too hard (this will occlude the artery) History and examination 2 nd Mosbys crash course. The radial artery can be palpated at the wrist, on the thumb side other wise known as the radial side of the inner aspect of the forearm.A radial pulse can be palpated by following these few easy steps: The radial pulse is easily accessible and readily used during assessment. Radial pulse therapy uses shockwaves to help. There are various locations that a pulse can be palpated and the closer to the heart the location is, the stronger the pressure will be. Its sometimes tough to sidestep foot pain, since your daily responsibilities limit the time you have to rest. These include gathering information on the individual’s cardiovascular status, reassuring the patient and allowing regular monitoring of their vital signs. We benefit from assessing the presence of a palpated pulse for several reasons. What you are feeling is the alternating expansion and recoil of arteries during the cardiac cycle, therefore creating a pressure wave (Marieb Hoehn 2010).

How and why do we record our patient’s pulse during a clinical assessment?Ī crucial part of a patient’s initial assessment is that of a pulse rate, a pulse can be palpated in any artery that is near to the surface of the body. Family Package: Covid-19 Rapid Antigen Test.Covid-19 PCR Fit To Fly Same Day Results.Covid-19 – 5 x Lateral Flow Home Test Kits.Advanced Well Man with Covid-19 Antibody.Advanced Well Woman with Covid-19 Antibody.
