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Heart rate, or pulse, is one of the parameters that allow you to assess the condition of the circulatory system. The heart rate is nothing more than the pulsating movement of the artery walls that occurs as a result of blood ejection during the contraction of the ventricles. The heart rate and the elasticity of the blood vessels affect your heart rate. Remember that the heart rate is one of the key factors when examining cardiovascular fitness.
Heart rate – testing the heart rate
Heart rate testing is performed on the arteries. Most often, the doctor checks the carotid, radial, brachial, femoral, popliteal, dorsal, and posterior tibial arteries. These arteries are closest to the skin surface so you can easily feel your pulse.
The doctor checks the pulse by first looking at the area around the vessels, as strong pulsations are visible to the naked eye. In addition, he can auscultate the area with a stethoscope or perform palpation of the pulse, i.e. by touch. If we measure the heart rate with our fingers, the easiest way is to count the beats in the first 15 seconds after placing our fingers on the artery and multiply it by 4. Then we get the number of beats per minute.
It should also be remembered that if a person’s life is in danger, it is best to check for the carotid or femoral heart rate, as these are places where even a weak heart rate can be easily felt.
It is worth knowing that the heart rate test is most often performed while auscultating the chest. The doctor is then able to assess the relationship between the heart rate and the work of the heart. In addition, the doctor pays attention to the symmetry, amplitude, regularity and frequency of the pulse as well as the duration of the systolic wave, and to detect possible murmurs over the arteries.
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Heart rate – features
Heart rate test provides the doctor with a lot of information. Among the features of the heart rate are:
- heart rate frequency – is the number of beats of the pulse wave per minute. Pulse rate depends on many factors related to both physiology and abnormal body processes;
- regularity of the heart rate – indicates the regularity of the pulse wave. The intervals between successive strokes should be the same and their strength similar. An irregular heart rate occurs, for example, during a tachycardia;
- filling the pulse – means that an artery is filled with blood and is related to the pulse amplitude (the difference between systolic and diastolic pressure). We highlight here heart rate high, low heart rate, threadlike pulse (frequent sign of life-threatening conditions) i heartbeat bizarre;
- pulse voltage – indicates the amount of blood pressure. We distinguish hard pulse (clear) soft pulse (weak) i double pulse (two waves in one contraction);
- heart rate – is the rate at which a vessel fills up with blood and collapses during one heartbeat. We distinguish fast heartbeat i lazy heartbeat;
- heart rate;
- heart rate symmetry – means symmetry of the pulse wave in all limbs. It is a simple method for the initial diagnosis of many diseases, such as atherosclerosis or arterial obstruction.
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Heart rate – diseases
Abnormal heart rate may be evidence of various diseases and conditions:
- atherosclerosis or embolism – the heart rate is weak or disappears, it may mean that the lumen of the artery is narrowing, a large narrowing of the artery (over 50%) is evidenced by a noise during auscultation;
- aortic aneurysm or blood vessel disease – heart rate is unbalanced in the extremities;
- aortic coarctation – stronger pulse on the carotid arteries and weaker on the lower extremities;
- heart failure or aortic stenosis – your heart rate is weak in many arteries all over the body;
- aortic regurgitation, anemia, some heart defects – strong pulsation of the blood.
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Heart rate – norms
The heart rate test allows you to evaluate pulse wave frequency. You do not need any equipment to test and evaluate it. The test involves pressing the artery with your fingers to feel the pulse and count the number of beats of the wave per minute. It is assumed that this number corresponds to the frequency of the heartbeat. However, it should be remembered that this number may differ for example in people with atrial fibrillation. In this group of people, the ejection of an adequate amount of blood does not occur during each contraction of the ventricles, and therefore does not always occur pulse wave. This state is called heart rate deficit.
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A healthy person’s heart rate should be between 50 and 100 beats per minute. If the heart rate values are higher than 100, it is a sign of tachycardia, i.e. too fast heartbeat, and a heart rate of less than 50 beats, of bradycardia, i.e. too slow heartbeat.
Resting heart rate is the average adult resting heart rate value. The amount of your resting heart rate depends on your age and level of physical activity and should most often be within the given range. The heart rate also depends on the circadian rhythm. It is lower during sleep and increases during wakefulness. The stated standards refer to adults.
For children, heart rate norms are judged based on the age of the child. Newborns and infants up to 3 months of age should have a heart rate of 80-205 beats per minute. Then the heart rate drops to 75-190, and for children 2-10 years old it should be between 60 and 140 beats. Please note that for children over 10 years of age, the same standards apply as for adults.
Heart rate – high pulse
We talk about high heart rate when its values exceed 100 beats per minute. This is associated with many factors and may not be related to the disease. Down causes of high heart rate should include:
- stress;
- physical effort;
- fever;
- anemia (anemia);
- hyperthyroidism;
- medications used.
If the patient has low blood pressure at the same time, this may suggest too little blood in the circulatory system – a consequence of bleeding or dehydration. High heart rate is also a symptom of heart rhythm disturbances, such as atrial fibrillation.
Symptoms of an excessively high heart rate They can vary widely, but also a high heart rate may be asymptomatic. The most common symptoms of high heart rate are:
- sensation of heart palpitations;
- dizziness;
- fainting and chest pain.
How high heart rate is lowered depends on its cause. Hence, the cause of the high heart rate must first be diagnosed and then removed. In order to lower the high heart rate, anti-arrhythmic drugs are also administered to slow down the heart rate. If a high heart rate occurs too often and is very bothersome, the doctor decides to perform ablation, that is, to remove the source of the arrhythmia with the help of electricity.
Heart rate – low heart rate
A heart rate that is too low is when the heart rate drops below 50 beats per minute. Too slow heart rate is most often associated with sinus node disease, which is a consequence of aging or other heart diseases (e.g. heart attack, cardiomyopathy). Other causes of low heart rate include:
- taking medications that slow down the heart rate;
- severe hypothermia, i.e. body hypothermia;
- electrolyte disturbances;
- arrhythmia and conduction blocks;
- Hypothyroidism;
- degenerations in the heart’s stimulus-conduction system, i.e. changes in the cells responsible for causing the heart to contract;
- neurological diseases;
- conduction disorders in the heart muscle.
Low heart rate is also a common affliction of people practicing sports, whose cardiovascular system adapts to this effort. Symptoms of a heart rate that is too low have:
- tiredness;
- weakness;
- weariness;
- problems with concentration;
- fainting;
- dizziness;
- less tolerance of physical exertion.
As with a high heart rate, treating a low heart rate is to remove its cause, i.e. lower the dose of medications you are taking. If complaints related to too low heart rate are very bothersome, a pacemaker may be required.
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