A palpable pulse is created by:

A palpable pulse is created by:

• A. Flow of Blood Through the Vessels
• B. Electrical Impulses From The Heart
• C. Oxygenated Blood Delivery
• D. Pressure Waves Through the Arteries Caused by Cardiac Contraction

Answer: (D)

Palpable pulse comes from the pressure wave that occurs when the heart contracts and ejects blood into the arteries. Each beat pushes blood into the arterial system, raising arterial pressure momentarily and making the arterial walls stretch. That traveling pressure wave is what you feel as a pulse at a peripheral site like the wrist or neck. The feel of a pulse depends on the heart’s output and the arteries’ ability to expand; it isn’t simply the continuous flow of blood, nor the electrical signal that triggers the beat, nor the oxygen content of the blood. In short, the pulse is the pressure waves through the arteries caused by cardiac contraction.

Palpable pulse comes from the pressure wave that occurs when the heart contracts and ejects blood into the arteries. Each beat pushes blood into the arterial system, raising arterial pressure momentarily and making the arterial walls stretch. That traveling pressure wave is what you feel as a pulse at a peripheral site like the wrist or neck. The feel of a pulse depends on the heart’s output and the arteries’ ability to expand; it isn’t simply the continuous flow of blood, nor the electrical signal that triggers the beat, nor the oxygen content of the blood. In short, the pulse is the pressure waves through the arteries caused by cardiac contraction.