Learning outcome 1: Explain the rationale for monitoring pulse rate and the normal values of the pulse

The heart rate diminishes by 10-20 bpm during sleep (Herbert and Alison 1996).

An abnormally slow pulse is termed bradycardia; in an adult this would usually

be a pulse rate below 60 bpm. An abnormally fast pulse is termed tachycardia –

usually a pulse rate above 100 bpm in an adult. There are many reasons for a fast

pulse – for example, a fever, an overactive thyroid gland, and certain drugs speed

up the pulse. An underactive thyroid gland, hypothermia and some drugs slow

the pulse. The thickness and tension of a patient’s arteriole walls influences the

pulse. Atherosclerosis develops in many people over the age of 40 years and can

lead to structural changes in the arteries, thus altering the pulse rate.