pulselessness
- noun
- /ˈpʌlsləsnəs/
- Specialized
- Assessment for acute compartment syndrome can be attained by assessing the "5 Ps": pain, paralysis, paresthesias, pallor, and pulselessness.
Examples
-
The doctor noted the patient's pulselessness and immediately began life-saving measures.
-
Assess the six P's: pain out of proportion to the injury, pain with passive stretch of the toes, pallor, pulselessness, paresthesia, and paralysis; but take special notice of pain as it is listed first and can be the most sensitive early indicator of compromise.
Academic text (2007) -
Pulselessness (often seen as a late sign)
Academic text (2006) -
Pulselessness is a "dead giveaway," but it is a very late sign of compartment syndrome—sometimes too late!
Academic text (2004) -
In the emergency room, the presence of pulselessness indicated a critical state requiring swift intervention.
-
The paramedic quickly recognized pulselessness as a sign that CPR needed to be initiated right away.
Antonyms
How Strong
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Pulselessness is made of pulse ('a beat', like a heartbeat), plus -less ('without') and -ness ('the state of'). So pulselessness literally means 'the state of being without a pulse', which is why doctors use it when a person has no heartbeat that a doctor can feel and needs immediate help.