Neonatal Pulse Rate Assessment: Key Locations & Techniques

For neonates, the recommended sites to assess the pulse rate are:

- Apical pulse: Located at the point where the apex of the heart touches the chest wall, which can be found through palpation at the left midclavicular line, approximately at the level of the fourth or fifth intercostal space.

- Brachial pulse: Located on the anterior aspect of the elbow crease, medial to the tendon of the biceps brachii.

- Femoral pulse: Located on the anterior aspect of the thigh, halfway between groin crease and the knee joint.

- Dorsalis pedis pulse: Located on the superior aspect of the foot, between the extensor hallucis longus and extensor hallucis brevis tendons, just proximal to the ankle joint.