1. Pulse

2.  Adults ◦ 60 to 100 bpm  Children ◦ 70 to 110 bpm  Infants ◦ 100 to 160 bpm

3.  Pressure of the blood pushing against the arterial wall as the heart beats  Can be felt at various arterial sites (handout)  Measured as beats per minute (bpm)  Use 1 st two fingers – no thumb

4.  Exercise  Excitement  Fever  Nervousness  Stimulant drugs  Shock

5.  Sleep  Physical training  Heart Disease  Coma

6.  Rhythm = regularity of the pulse  Arrhythmia = abnormal rhythm  Volume = strength of the pulse (thready, weak, strong, bounding)  Tachycardia = fast heartbeat (100 bpm or higher)  Bradycardia = slow heartbeat (60 bpm or lower)

7.  Options ◦ Count for 60 sec. = # bpm ◦ Count for 30 sec. x 2 = # bpm ◦ Count for 15 sec. x 4 = # bpm

8.  Normal and abnormal Normal and abnormal