A

• Amplitude (Pulse Amplitude) – The strength or force of the pulse wave felt on palpation, ranging from absent to bounding.

• Asynchronous Pulse – When pulses in different arteries are not simultaneous, may indicate arterial obstruction or cardiac conduction problems.

B

• Bounding Pulse – A strong, forceful pulse often seen in conditions such as fever, anemia, aortic regurgitation, or hyperthyroidism.

• Bisferiens Pulse – A pulse with two peaks per cardiac cycle; classically associated with aortic regurgitation with stenosis or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

C

• Capillary Pulse – Visible pulsation of the capillary bed, often seen in severe aortic regurgitation.

• Corrigan’s Pulse – Also called “water hammer pulse,” a rapidly rising and collapsing pulse characteristic of aortic regurgitation.

• Collapse Time – Time taken for the pulse to collapse; shortened in conditions like aortic regurgitation.

D

• Dicrotic Pulse – A pulse with a double beat, often seen in conditions of low cardiac output like cardiogenic shock.

E

• Ejection Pulse – The normal pulse felt with the systolic ejection of blood from the left ventricle.

F

• Femoropopliteal Pulse – Pulses felt over the femoral and popliteal arteries; absence may indicate peripheral arterial disease.

H

• Hypokinetic Pulse – Weak and small pulse due to poor left ventricular output, seen in heart failure or shock.

I

• Irregular Pulse – Pulse with variable rhythm; common in atrial fibrillation or premature beats.

M

• Monophasic Pulse – A pulse with a single peak, often indicative of arterial obstruction downstream.

• Mitral Stenosis Pulse – Typically a small and slow-rising pulse due to reduced stroke volume.

P

• Parvus et Tardus Pulse – A weak (parvus) and delayed (tardus) pulse characteristic of aortic stenosis.

• Pulsus Alternans – Alternating strong and weak pulses, indicating left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

• Pulsus Paradoxus – An exaggerated (>10 mmHg) drop in systolic blood pressure during inspiration; seen in cardiac tamponade, severe asthma.

• Pulsus Bigeminus – Pulse in pairs due to premature beats.

• Pulsus Bisferiens – See Bisferiens pulse.

• Pulsus Filiformis – Thin, weak, thready pulse usually due to low stroke volume.

• Pulsus Parvus – Small or weak pulse, often seen in aortic stenosis.

• Pulsus Alternans – Alternating amplitude pulses.

R

• Radial Pulse – The pulse felt at the wrist over the radial artery; commonly used for routine pulse assessment.

• Radiofemoral Delay – Delay between the radial and femoral pulse, suggestive of coarctation of the aorta.

S

• Small Pulse – Weak pulse due to reduced cardiac output.

• Slow-rising Pulse – A pulse that rises slowly, often seen in aortic stenosis.

T

• Tachycardic Pulse – Fast pulse rate, commonly >100 beats per minute.

• Thrill – A palpable vibration over an artery indicating turbulent blood flow, often associated with a murmur.

U

• Unequal Pulses – Differences in pulse amplitude or timing between limbs; may indicate arterial obstruction or vascular disease.

V

• Visible Pulse – A pulse visible to the eye, such as carotid artery pulsations in severe aortic regurgitation or hyperthyroidism.