What it means
A device that sends sound waves into the body and measures how they change when they bounce off moving blood cells. A small hand-held Doppler lets the nurse hear a pulse too weak to feel or the fetal heart rate. A full Doppler study in imaging shows blood flow in arteries and veins, for example to look for a blood clot in the leg. It is named after Christian Doppler, the Austrian physicist who described the effect.
For the nurse
If you cannot feel a pulse, use a Doppler with gel over the artery, and mark the spot with a pen so others can find it again. Chart "pulse present by Doppler".
At a glance
| Also written | Doppler, Doppler device, Doppler study |
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Related terms
deep vein thrombosis
A blood clot in a deep vein, most often in the leg or pelvis.
pulse
The throb of an artery felt with each heartbeat, used to count the heart rate and judge blood flow.
fetal heart rate
The number of times the unborn baby's heart beats per minute.