QUESTION: When my physician finished examining me, he informed me that all was normal, including my pulse and that I was in good physical condition.
Yet he never even took my pulse, and I am wondering about his conclusions.
Can you please comment on this in your column?
ANSWER: I think that many people believe that the only method of taking and evaluating the pulse is by placing a forefinger on the easy to find radial artery located just above the wrist.
After all that is what is shown on television and in the movies.
But there are many places to check a heart rate, by counting the pulse beats, that include not only the wrist, but the upper arm (brachial), the neck (carotid), the groin (femoral) and many others. The pulses are caused in the arteries by a wave of pressure, created by the contraction of the heart, and may reveal the presence of disease of the valves of the heart when they are abnormal.
When the pulse is absent, in the ankle for example, it means the the flow of blood to that area has been shut off or diminished by a disease process, and is an important clue to be followed up by more complicated and revealing tests.
The character of the pulse, tapping, bounding, collapsing, or slapping, the rapidity of the rate, and the comparison of the pulse on one side of the body with its mate on the other all have different meanings to your physician, and their evaluation permit a report, in your case, of "normal".
It is probable that your physician may have checked your pulse several times, while you were unaware that his attention was on this important physical sign, used as part of the total evaluations included in every good physical examination.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
