Pulse Rate Measurement: A First Aid Guide for Rescuers

Knowing an injured person's pulse helps the rescuer assess the injury, and is an important indicator of how the person is responding to treatment. Record the pulse every 15 minutes, and pass the records on to a medical professional when you transfer care.

Things You'll Need

• Notebooks
• Pens
• Stopwatches

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Instructions

• 1

  Place the tips of your index and middle fingers on the injured person's wrist, at the base of the thumb.

• 2

  Press your fingertips lightly until you feel the heartbeat in the artery that runs between the bones in the arm, just below the base of the thumb.

• 3

  Count the number of beats for 15 seconds and multiply by four, or count for 30 seconds and multiply by two. This will give you the beats per minute.

• 4

  Note whether the pulse beats in a regular rhythm or an irregular rhythm.

• 5

  Note the degree of pressure you feel against your fingertips. Is this pressure strong or weak?

• 6

  Record your findings in the following manner: rate, rhythm, strength. For example: "Pulse is 60 (beats per minute), regular and strong."