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2torial #0902:
Learn2 Take a Pulse
Don't be re-pulsed!
You don't have to be a doctor-wannabe (or a
hypochondriac) to want to take a pulse. In reality,
it's a skill that has a plethora of purposes: with
it, you can ensure that your or someone else's
heart is healthily pumping its juice (your blood),
detect any heartbeat irregularities and determine a
body temperature rise or decrease. An accurate
pulse count also lets you know when you've
accelerated your heart rate enough to start burning
off that banana split during exercise.
In this 2torial, we'll teach you methods for
taking your own pulse--methods you can then use to
take someone else's. Get with the beat!
You should know that your "pulse" refers both to
the physical thump created in your arteries by the
contraction of your heart muscles and the number of
these thumps your heart causes per minute. You have
seven pulse points--places where arteries come
close to your skin--on your body:
a. carotid arteries (located on your
neck)
b. radial arteries (on your wrists)
c. brachial arteries (on your arms)
d. aortic arch (by your heart)
e. abdominal aorta (near your stomach)
f. femoral arteries (on your thighs)
g. popliteal arteries (near your knees)
That may sound like a lot of anatomic vocab to
retain, but those are just your options. Most
people are able to detect a pulse on the carotids
or the radial arteries.
 Find your pulse
To find your radial artery (the most common
point from which people take pulses), hold one hand
straight out, elbow bent, palm relaxed and facing
up. Raise your thumb slightly skyward, as if
holding an apple or a tennis ball, to create a
small pocket under your thumb at the top of your
wrist. Place the tips of your index and middle
fingers of the other hand (don't use your
thumb--it's also got a pulse and could cause
counting confusion) on the pocket under your thumb.
Your fingers should lay across the tendon running
down your arm. Adjust your fingertips until you can
feel a steady beat under the skin of your wrist.
If you've searched high and low, yet the
thump-thump on your wrist remains ever elusive, try
finding your carotid artery instead. The best way
is the easiest one for you, and for some people,
neck pulse points are stronger and more accessible.
The carotid is located just below your jaw in the
groove where your head and neck meet, on either
side of your windpipe. Use your index and middle
fingertips to feel around in the groove for a
tangible pulsation. Hold your fingers in place for
a few seconds to make sure you've got it.
On the wrist or neck, like we mentioned, are the
most common spots where people take their pulses,
but you can try finding pulse points on your upper
arms under your biceps, about two inches from your
underarm, or behind your kneecap (bend your knee a
bit before poking your fingers around). Supermodel
types can try counting their pulses by finding
their abdominal aorta, located under the stomach,
but anyone of average weight or more can count out
discovering that one.
 Count, multiply and determine pulse
regularity
After all that searching and poking, the next
part is a piece of cake. You do remember some math,
don't you?
Get out your stopwatch or timepiece. First, take
a count of how many pulse beats you feel for 30
seconds. Multiply the amount of beats by two to
calculate your pulse rate per minute. Your pulse
will be the same regardless from which point you
measure it.
Then, keep your fingers on your pulse for
another 30 seconds. Is your pulse steady and
unwavering? Or is it irregular in any way?
Irregularities to note include beats that come
closer to the preceding beats than the following
ones or anomalous pauses in between beats. These
and any other irregularities should be reported to
your physician immediately.
 Record and compare
your findings
When you've determined your pulse's rate and
regularity, write down your findings. That way, you
can chart your pulse's activity from month to month
and establish your average pulse rate.
Normal resting pulse for adults and teens ranges
from 60 to 100 beats per minute, while 70 to 110
beats per minute is average for children between
the ages of six and ten years. Infants may have a
slightly higher rate still--the norm can reach 150
beats per minute.
Your pulse rate rises as your body works harder,
which is why it's always a good idea to take a
pulse count when your body is calm and at rest.
Some people calculate their pulse rate during
exercise to determine whether or not they have
raised their normal rate to one that facilitates
calorie burning. Most doctors and specialists
advise not raising your heart rate to more than 200
beats per minute.
 Take someone
else's pulse
Use your new pulse-taking skills on your
friends! The process of taking someone else's pulse
is identical to taking your own, except that you'll
have both of your hands free to feel around for
that fleeting rhythm. Just remember to keep those
thumbs out of the way; they'll still interfere even
if you're taking someone else's pulse.
In an emergency situation, keep in mind that the
easiest places to find a pulse are on the wrists
and neck. If time is of the essence, try those
spots first before going on to less accessible
areas.
It's likely that even if you can't find your
pulse, another person can. Compare pulses and pulse
regularity--sometimes the only way to measure
regularity is to compare it with someone else's.
-end-
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More!
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