Question about palpating pulses/assessing sensation in a patient's extremities

AusNurse2B · Sep 6, 2007

Assessing pulse offers data for determining the integrity of the cardiovascular system - Pulse rate, rhythm and strength.

the rate & rhythm- an abnormally slow, rapid or irregular pulse indicate the hearts inability to deliver an adequate cardiac output

strength - reflects the volume of blood ejected against the arterial wall (also stroke volume) if volume decreases, pulse becomes weak and difficult to palpate.

The second part do they mean you can palpate the temporal, cartoid, femoral, popliteal, posterior tibial and dorsalis pedis pulses...

hope that helps any...

HeavenBound0530 · Sep 7, 2007

Assessing pulse offers data for determining the integrity of the cardiovascular system - Pulse rate, rhythm and strength.
the rate & rhythm- an abnormally slow, rapid or irregular pulse indicate the hearts inability to deliver an adequate cardiac output
strength - reflects the volume of blood ejected against the arterial wall (also stroke volume) if volume decreases, pulse becomes weak and difficult to palpate.
The second part do they mean you can palpate the temporal, cartoid, femoral, popliteal, posterior tibial and dorsalis pedis pulses...
hope that helps any...

The first part is right, but Im not so sure about the answer for how to assess for sensation. I think you would want to do something along the lines of a neurovascular check which consists of the 5 P's...Palor, Pain, Pulses, Paralysis and Paresthesia.

Palor- check the color of the extremity, also check the nail beds and check your capillary refill times (

Pain- assess if the pt. is in any pain. if so, do your pain scale and ask what kind of pain, if it's local or if it radiates to surrounding areas. Also, assess if it's a chrinic pain (if it's all the time) or if it's acute (only when pt. moves around)

Pulses- Check pulses on both extremeties to make sure they are equal in rhythm.

Paralysis- ask patient to move the extremity and not just the fingers and toes, have them move the wrists and ankle also.

Paresthesia- ask patient to describe what they're feeling in their extremity..numbness, tingling, burning ect. and also to check for sensation, use a sterile needle to check for nerve function.

Most of it i knew cause I'm doing a rotation on an ortho floor right now but some of it I took from this website which you can use for more help on a neruo check..just becareful because there's a neurovascular check and a neurological check which is something different!!

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-936X%28197406%2974%3A6%3C1048%3AEAOOI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-K&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage

Hope this helps!!!!