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radial pulse

radial pulse

2 4.2
The beat felt at the wrist to check heart rate
  • noun
  • /ˈreɪdiəl pʌls/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pulso radial
  • His radial pulse bounds against my fingers.
  • got a radial pulse
  • a good radial pulse

Examples

  • It should be tight enough to impede the venous flow, but not occlude arterial flow (a radial pulse should still be present).

    Academic text (2014)
  • The radial pulse can be checked really easily on your own wrist; place your middle and index fingers (not the thumb) on your wrist, close to the artery, until you feel the pulse.

    Blog text (27)
  • - Radial pulse is weak.

  • - Radial pulse is weaker.

  • She reached across and held his hand and automatically checked a radial pulse for rate and rhythm.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The brachial and/or radial pulse should be assessed to ensure that there is no vascular injury.

    Academic text (2006)
  • To check your heart rate, place your fingers on your wrist to feel the radial pulse.

  • The nurse counted the radial pulse to monitor the patient's heart rate during the examination.

  • An irregular radial pulse can indicate potential heart issues that require further investigation.

Synonyms

pulse
vsradial pulse
632 2.3

The regular beat you feel in your wrist or neck from the heart

is measured specifically over the artery at the wrist to record heart rate
pulsebeat
vsradial pulse
3.2

A regular throbbing in an artery when the heart pumps blood

is taken at the wrist artery to record heart rate

How Strong

radial pulse
  • Specialized
2 4.2
pulselessness
  • Specialized
9.3

Surface Forms

radial pulse singular
radial pulses plural

Morphology

radial + pulse

The meaning is directly compositional: 'radial' locates something at the radius/wrist area and 'pulse' denotes the heartbeat throbbing, so a learner who knows both words can infer it is the pulse felt at the wrist. Although medical, the compound follows regular English noun formation and has an obvious spatial relation that is cross-linguistically common, making it readily understandable.

Etymology

Radial pulse names the beat you feel at a particular spot on the wrist. Radial points to the side of the wrist near the thumb and pulse is the 'beat' of the artery, so 'radial pulse' means the heartbeat you check at the wrist.