Question

Identify the peripheral arterial pulses. Discuss the grading scale for arterial pulses.

Answer 1

Identify the peripheral arterial pulses are  commonly feel for pulses in the femoral (groin), popliteal (back of the knee), posterior tibial (ankle), and dorsalis pedis (foot) areas. Other pulses often checked include the radial (wrist), brachial (forearm), and carotid (neck) areas.

Grading scale for arterial pulses

Palpation should be done using the fingertips and intensity of the pulse graded on a scale of 0 to 4 +:

0 indicating no palpable pulse;

1 + indicating a faint, but detectable pulse;

2 + suggesting a slightly more diminished pulse than normal;

3 + is a normal pulse; and 4 + indicating a bounding pulse.