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Nursing vocabulary · Vital Signs

Pulse

Meaning in nursing, with examples

/pʌls/nounCore term

In nursing, pulse means: The beat of the heart that can be felt where an artery is close to the skin, such as at the wrist, counted as beats per minute.

In Turkish: nabız

How it is used

Nurses feel, check or take a pulse and describe its rate, rhythm and strength: regular or irregular, strong, weak or thready. 'Heart rate' is often used for the number on a monitor. A normal resting pulse in adults is usually given as 60 to 100 beats per minute.

Example sentences

  1. Her pulse is 112 and irregular. Could you come and have a look at her?

  2. I couldn't feel a radial pulse, so I checked the carotid.

Common collocations

  • take someone's pulse
  • radial pulse
  • weak pulse
  • irregular pulse
  • pulse rate
  • vital signsThe basic body measurements that show how well a patient's body is working: usually temperature, pulse, breathing rate, blood pressure and oxygen level.
  • tachycardiaA heart rate that is faster than normal; in adults at rest, usually more than 100 beats per minute.
  • blood pressureThe force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries, written as two numbers such as 120/80 and measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg).
  • observationsIn nursing, the regular set of measurements taken from a patient, mainly the vital signs, and sometimes other checks such as pain or level of consciousness.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Vital Signs

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.