A
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Amplitude (Pulse Amplitude) – The strength or force of the pulse wave felt on palpation, ranging from absent to bounding.
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Asynchronous Pulse – When pulses in different arteries are not simultaneous, may indicate arterial obstruction or cardiac conduction problems.
B
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Bounding Pulse – A strong, forceful pulse often seen in conditions such as fever, anemia, aortic regurgitation, or hyperthyroidism.
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Bisferiens Pulse – A pulse with two peaks per cardiac cycle; classically associated with aortic regurgitation with stenosis or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
C
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Capillary Pulse – Visible pulsation of the capillary bed, often seen in severe aortic regurgitation.
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Corrigan’s Pulse – Also called “water hammer pulse,” a rapidly rising and collapsing pulse characteristic of aortic regurgitation.
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Collapse Time – Time taken for the pulse to collapse; shortened in conditions like aortic regurgitation.
D
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Dicrotic Pulse – A pulse with a double beat, often seen in conditions of low cardiac output like cardiogenic shock.
E
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Ejection Pulse – The normal pulse felt with the systolic ejection of blood from the left ventricle.
F
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Femoropopliteal Pulse – Pulses felt over the femoral and popliteal arteries; absence may indicate peripheral arterial disease.
H
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Hypokinetic Pulse – Weak and small pulse due to poor left ventricular output, seen in heart failure or shock.
I
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Irregular Pulse – Pulse with variable rhythm; common in atrial fibrillation or premature beats.
M
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Monophasic Pulse – A pulse with a single peak, often indicative of arterial obstruction downstream.
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Mitral Stenosis Pulse – Typically a small and slow-rising pulse due to reduced stroke volume.
P
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Parvus et Tardus Pulse – A weak (parvus) and delayed (tardus) pulse characteristic of aortic stenosis.
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Pulsus Alternans – Alternating strong and weak pulses, indicating left ventricular systolic dysfunction.
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Pulsus Paradoxus – An exaggerated (>10 mmHg) drop in systolic blood pressure during inspiration; seen in cardiac tamponade, severe asthma.
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Pulsus Bigeminus – Pulse in pairs due to premature beats.
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Pulsus Bisferiens – See Bisferiens pulse.
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Pulsus Filiformis – Thin, weak, thready pulse usually due to low stroke volume.
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Pulsus Parvus – Small or weak pulse, often seen in aortic stenosis.
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Pulsus Alternans – Alternating amplitude pulses.
R
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Radial Pulse – The pulse felt at the wrist over the radial artery; commonly used for routine pulse assessment.
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Radiofemoral Delay – Delay between the radial and femoral pulse, suggestive of coarctation of the aorta.
S
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Small Pulse – Weak pulse due to reduced cardiac output.
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Slow-rising Pulse – A pulse that rises slowly, often seen in aortic stenosis.
T
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Tachycardic Pulse – Fast pulse rate, commonly >100 beats per minute.
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Thrill – A palpable vibration over an artery indicating turbulent blood flow, often associated with a murmur.
U
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Unequal Pulses – Differences in pulse amplitude or timing between limbs; may indicate arterial obstruction or vascular disease.
V
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Visible Pulse – A pulse visible to the eye, such as carotid artery pulsations in severe aortic regurgitation or hyperthyroidism.