What it means
The most common place to check a pulse in adults and older children. The nurse places two or three fingertips gently on the inside of the wrist below the thumb and counts the beats, noting the rate, rhythm and strength. A normal adult rate at rest is 60 to 100 beats a minute.
For the nurse
If the rhythm is regular, count for 30 seconds and double it; if it is irregular, count for a full minute. Use the apical pulseAP-ih-kul pulsThe heartbeat counted by listening with a stethoscope over the tip (apex) of the heart, on the left side of the chest.Full entry for infants, for an irregular rhythm and before giving drugs such as digoxin. Do not use your thumb, which has its own pulse.
Related terms
pulse
The throb of an artery felt with each heartbeat, used to count the heart rate and judge blood flow.
pulse rate
How many times the heart beats each minute, counted by feeling a pulse.
apical pulse
The heartbeat counted by listening with a stethoscope over the tip (apex) of the heart, on the left side of the chest.