A primary care physician has told a patient that she has a pulse deficit. She asks her nurse to explain what that means. The nurse replies:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A pulse deficit is when the heart rate is irregular, resulting in a difference between the radial pulse (which is the pulse felt at the wrist) and the apical pulse (which is the pulse heard through a stethoscope placed on the chest). In this case, the irregularity is compromising the patient's blood flow and causing the radial pulse to be slower than the heart rate.

A Primary Care Physician Has Told a Patient That She