What it means
A small fall in blood pressure with each breath in is normal; a fall of more than 10 mm Hg is not. It is found in cardiac tamponade, and also in severe asthma or COPD flare-ups and constrictive pericarditis. It is measured with a manual cuff: the pressure at which the first sounds are heard only on breathing out is compared with the pressure at which they are heard all the time.
At a glance
| Also written | paradoxical pulse |
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Related terms
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a long-term lung disease that makes it hard to move air out of the lungs.
blood pressure
The force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries, written as systolic over diastolic in mm Hg.
Beck triad
Three findings together: low blood pressure, distended neck veins and muffled heart sounds.