| Term | Definition |
|---|
| pulse | the term that refers to the alternating surges of pressure in an artery that occur with each contraction and relaxation of the left ventricle |
| pulse pressure | the difference between the systolic and diastolic pressure |
| common carotid artery | source of pulse at the side of the neck |
| temporal artery | source of pulse anterior to the ear, in the temple region |
| facial artery | palpable when the teeth are clenched, just anterior to the masseter muscle on the mandible |
| brachial artery | site that is a good source of the pulse is at the point where the artery splits into the radial and ulnar artery |
| femoral artery | the artery in the groin that are palpable |
| popliteal artery | artery found at the back of the knee |
| posterior tibial artery | an artery found just above the medial malleolus |
| dorsalis pedis artery | an artery found on the dorsum of the foot |
| apical pulse | pulse of the actual heartbeats, it may be slightly faster than the radial because of a slight lag in time as the blood rushes from the heart into the large arteries |
| pulse defecit | the difference of apical pulse from the radial pulse. a high value could be the result of cardiac impairment |
| blood pressure | defined as the pressure the blood exerts against any unit area of the blood vessel walls, generally measured in the arteries |
| systolic pressure | the pressure in the arteries at the peak of ventricular ejection; the first sound to appear |
| diastolic pressure | the pressure during ventricular relaxation, obvious with the sphygmomanometer because the sounds of Korotkoff can no longer be detected |
| sphygmomanometer | an instrument used to obtain blood pressure readings by the auscultatory method. aka a blood pressure cuff. it is inflated to a pressure higher than systolic pressure to occlude circulation to the forearm, it is not possible to measure the venous blood. |
| sounds of Korotkoff | the sounds that indicate the resumption of blood flow into the forearm. |
| cardiac output | the amount of blood pumped out of the left ventricle per unit of time |
| peripheral resistance | increased by blood vessel constriction, an increase in blood viscosity or volume, and by a loss of elasticity of the arteries |
| cold pressor test | a test of blood pressure when one hand is immersed in unpleasantly cold water |
| pulse pressure | measure of the stress that small arteries are under, equal to the systolic pressure - diastolic pressure |
| mean arterial pressure | a measure of the stress that arteries are under, yet it considers the fact that diastolic pressure lasts longer than the systolic pressure. It will vary because of gravity and length away from the heart. Is equal to diastolic pressure + pulse pressure/3 |
Combine with other sets
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