The nurse is assessing a patient's pulses and notices a difference between the patient's apical pulse and radial pulse. The apical pulse was 118 beats per minute, and the radial pulse was 105 beats per minute
What is the pulse deficit?
ANS:
13
The nurse should count a serial measurement (one after the other) of the apical pulse and then the radial pulse. Normally, every beat heard at the apex should perfuse to the periphery and be palpable. The two counts should be identical. If they are different, then the nurse should subtract the radial rate from the apical pulse and record the remainder as the pulse deficit.
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