pulse

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1. The edible seeds of certain pod-bearing plants, such as peas and beans.
2. A plant yielding these seeds.

[Middle English pols, from Old French, from Latin puls, pottage of meal and pulse, probably ultimately from Greek poltos.]

Feeling the pulse is one of the hallmarks of the medical profession, and has been for many a century. As well as being informative, this action can give the doctor something physical to do while he takes time to think.

The pulse is most commonly felt where the radial artery lies near the surface on the thumb side of the wrist. It is made palpable by the ‘pulse pressure wave’ — initiated by each heart beat — reaching and expanding the artery. This wave is transmitted to the wrist at about 10 metres per second around forty times faster than the speed of the blood flow itself.

The information obtained from feeling the pulse is limited but important. The feel of the artery itself may suggest whether its wall has normal resilience, or is hardened and thickened by arteriosclerosis.

The pulse may feel, at one extreme, ‘strong’ and ‘full’ or, at the other, ‘weak’ or ‘thready’. These are indirect indications of the stroke volume of the heart. The impulse felt in the radial artery is related to the rise in arterial blood pressure generated by the heart at each beat — the pulse pressure. For any given stroke volume, this rise in pressure depends on the elasticity of the arteries: the more compliant they are the less the pressure rises; the stiffer they are with age and arteriosclerosis, the more sharply the pressure rises. These subtleties may be recognized by an experienced observer.

The rate may be faster or slower than normally expected in the circumstances. In healthy adults the rate at rest, although typically 60-70, can be anything from 40 per minute, say in an elite long-distance swimmer, to about 80 per minute. Even so the rate can, for example, be used to distinguish a simple faint (slow) from loss of consciousness caused by haemorrhage (fast).

The rhythm may be regular or irregular. In a person at rest an absolutely regular pulse is in fact unusual because of the phenomenon of respiratory sinus arrhythmia — an increase when breathing in and a decrease when breathing out. This is more marked in younger than in older people, and disappears at higher heart rates such as in exercise or in fever. This is a ‘regular irregularity’ and the pattern is generated from the normal physiological pacemaker, the sino-atrial node. There are other, abnormal disturbances of rhythm which are ‘irregular irregularities’; in this instance the rhythm is occasionally interrupted or persistently disorganized. Interruptions can either come in the form of extra heart beats, generated from a different part of the heart rather than from the sino-atrial node (ectopic beats), or else an occasional beat may be missed out entirely in mild forms of heart block. ‘My heart missed a beat’ is not just poetic licence: the sensation of missing a beat, in healthy people, is usually because of a longer gap after a premature ectopic beat. A totally disorganized rhythm is felt at the pulse in the condition of atrial fibrillation.

An exaggerated sensation of the beating of the heart — palpitation — may or may not be associated with a faster than normal pulse rate; it is also a normal accompaniment of the increase in strength and rate of the heart-beat induced by strenuous exercise, or by the sympathetic nervous systems in stressful conditions, and can be a component of abnormal anxiety states.

Awareness of pulsation within ourselves, particularly when emotions are heightened — and even at the earliest in our mother's womb — may well be inextricably related to the creation and appreciation of music.

— Sheila Jennett

See also heart; medicine; music; pacemaker.

Trade name for capsules of fish oil rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The pulse is a rhythmic expansion and recoil of the arteries. It results from a wave of pressure produced by the contraction of the heart. You can feel your pulse in any artery that passes over a bone sufficiently close to the body surface.

Many training programmes prescribe exercise intensities in terms of target heart rates. In healthy individuals, pulse rates are usually identical to heart rates. Most exercisers find it easier to take their pulse rate and generally use that as an indicator of exercise intensity.

The best site for checking the pulse is in the groove directly above the base of the thumb on the underside of the wrist (figure 54). This is called the radial pulse because it is where the radial artery passes alongside the radius. To count the pulse, simply press the fingertips of your middle and index fingers gently but firmly against the radial artery. The pressure should be sufficient to feel the pulse, but not so great that the artery is blocked. It usually takes a few seconds to become aware of the pulse and a few seconds more to become sensitive to its rhythm. Once this is established, an accurate count can be made over a period of 10 or 15 seconds and the pulse rate per minute calculated. (If an exerciser stops to take the pulse for a full minute, the heart rate will have slowed down by the time the minute has elapsed). Sometimes the carotid pulse is taken by pressing the carotid artery which lies along the forward side of the throat, but this pulse can produce inaccurate results. Also, pressure against the artery can affect a sense organ, the carotid sinus (see carotid artery), which may cause the heart rate to decrease by more than 15 beats per minute.

Figure 54 Taking the radial pulse

The dried seed of any of several legumes including beans, peas and lentils.

The rhythmic expansion and contraction of arteries resulting from the surges of blood through the arteries. The pulse can be felt by the fingers in arteries that are close to the skin.

The rhythmic expansion and recoil of the arteries resulting from a wave of pressure produced by contraction of the left ventricle of the heart. The pulse can be felt in any artery sufficiently close to the body surface that passes over a bone. See also pulse rate.

Legume plants or seeds used for food.

1. a rhythmic wave.
2. any leguminous seed used in animal feed or human food. Contain about 20% protein.
3. the beat of the heart as felt through the walls of arteries. What is felt is not the blood pulsing through the arteries but a shock wave, generated by the abrupt ejection of blood from the heart, that travels along the arteries. The arterial pulse wave can be measured by a sphygmograph. The resulting tracing shows ascending and descending limbs.

Palpating facial artery pulse in a horse. By permission from Darke P, Kelly DF, Bonagura JD, Color Atlas of Veterinary Cardiology, Mosby, 1995

• abdominal p. — that over the abdominal aorta.
• p. abnormality — includes irregularity of timing and amplitude, large or small amplitude, waterhammer pulse, Corrigan's pulse, dropped pulse, pulse deficit, alternating pulse and many others.
• alternating p. — pulsus alternans; one with regular alteration of weak and strong beats without changes in cycle length.
• p. amplitude — indicative of arterial blood pressure; estimated on the difference of pressure exerted by the fingers to occlude and then reopen the arterial pulse.
• anacrotic p. — one in which the ascending limb of the tracing shows a transient drop in amplitude, or a notch.
• anadicrotic p. — one in which the ascending limb of the tracing shows two small additional waves or notches.
• anatricrotic p. — one in which the ascending limb of the tracing shows three small additional waves or notches.
• arterial p. — the wave of pressure generated by the ejection of blood from the left ventricle into the aorta. Although the size (amplitude) of the pulse depends on the volume ejected it is not the blood passing the finger that is palpated, it is only the pressure wave. The pulse is a good indicator of the heart's activity with respect to amplitude, rate and regularity. It may also provide information on the state of the vessel walls and the efficiency of the aortic semilunar valves. It may be palpated in the median, facial, femoral or coccygeal arteries, the preferred site varying with the species and the occasion.
• atrial venous p. — atriovenous pulse, a cervical pulse having an accentuated ‘a’ wave during atrial systole, owing to increased force of contraction of the right atrium; a characteristic of tricuspid stenosis.
• B-B shot p. — see water-hammer pulse (below).
• bigeminal p. — one in which two beats occur in rapid succession, the groups of two being separated by a longer interval, usually related to regularly occurring ventricular premature beats.
• catadicrotic p. — see catadicrotism.
• catatricrotic p. — see catatricrotism.
• p.-chase experiment — to study the movement of macromolecules, cells are incubated with a radiolabeled precursor (pulse) and then replaced with unlabeled precursor (chase). The label can be followed as it is incorporated into newly synthesized compounds and through different cellular compartments.
• Corrigan's p. — see corrigan's pulse.
• p. deficit — the difference between the apical pulse and the radial pulse. Obtained by counting apical beats as heard through a stethoscope over the heart and counting the arterial pulse at the same time. A characteristic of several arrhythmias.
• dicrotic p. — a pulse characterized by two peaks, the second peak occurring in diastole and being an exaggeration of the dicrotic wave.
• p. dosing — the administration of drugs, usually antibiotics or corticosteroids, in a single, large dose which might be repeated after an interval of days. Thought to have the advantage of high tissue levels and fewer of the undesirable side-effects associated with more frequent dosing.
• dropped p. — arrhythmic pulse.
• femoral p. — that which is located at the site where the femoral artery passes through the groin in the femoral triangle; the usual site for palpating the pulse in dogs and cats.
• fetal p. detector — an ultrasound detector based on the Doppler principle used to detect the presence of a living fetus in utero.
• funic p. — the arterial tide in the umbilical cord.
• p. generator — the power source for a cardiac pacemaker system, usually powered by a lithium battery. It supplies electrical impulses to the implanted electrodes. See also pacemaker.
• hard p. — one characterized by high tension.
• jerky p. — see water-hammer pulse (below).
• jugular p. — comprises the movements of the wall of the jugular vein in response to pressure changes in the right atrium. Much more visible if the vein is distended. A reflection of increased pressure in the right atrium or insufficiency of the right A-V valve. A small pulse is normal in most food animals. A large pulse which goes high up the neck when the head is in the normal position, and which is synchronous with the heart cycle and is systolic in time, indicates insufficiency of the right atrioventricular valve.
• p. monitor — a pulse detector which uses the Doppler principle.
• paradoxical p. — one that markedly decreases in amplitude during inspiration.
• peripheral p. — that palpable in the extremities, e.g. legs, neck and head; the usual sites for measuring the pulse rate.
• pistol-shot p. — one in which the arteries are subject to sudden distention and collapse.
• p. pressure — the difference between the systolic and diastolic pressures.
• radial p. — that felt over the radial artery.
• p. rate — the number of pulsations per minute palpable in an artery, usually of a limb. The normal rates per minute for the common domestic animal species are: horses, 30 to 40; young horses up to one year of age, 70 to 80; cattle, 60 to 80; young calves, 100 to 120; sheep and goats, 70 to 120; pigs (heart rate), 60 to 70; dogs, 100 to 130; cats, 110 to 140; adult fowls 250 to 300.
• p. rhythm — regularity of the pulse in time and amplitude.
• thready p. — one that is very fine and barely perceptible.
• p. tracing — see sphygmogram.
• tricrotic p. — see tricrotism.
• trigeminal p. — one with a pause after every third beat.
• undulating p. — one giving the sensation of successive waves.
• vagus p. — a slow pulse.
• venous p. — the pulsation over a vein.
• water-hammer p. — one in which the artery is suddenly and markedly distended and relaxed. Characteristic of patent ductus arteriosus. Called also Corrigan's, jerky and B-B shot pulse.
• wiry p. — a small, tense pulse.

For other uses, see Pulse (disambiguation)

A pulse is an annual leguminous crop yielding from one to twelve grains or seeds of variable size, shape, and color within a pod. Pulses are used for food and animal feed. The term "pulse", as used by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), is reserved for crops harvested solely for the dry grain. This excludes green beans and green peas, which are considered vegetable crops. Also excluded are crops that are mainly grown for oil extraction (oilseeds like soybeans and peanuts), and crops which are used exclusively for sowing (clovers, alfalfa). Pulses are important food crops due to their high protein and essential amino acid content. Like many leguminous crops, pulses play a key role in crop rotation due to their ability to fix nitrogen.

Contents 1 World economy 2 Classification 3 Protein content 4 Health 5 References 6 See also 7 External links

World economy

India is the world's largest producer and the largest consumer of pulses. Canada, Myanmar, Australia and the United States are significant exporters, and are India's most significant suppliers, in that order.

Classification

Variety of pulses

FAO recognizes 11 primary pulses.

1. Dry beans (Phaseolus spp. including several species now in Vigna)
   • Kidney bean, haricot bean, pinto bean, navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)
   • Lima bean, butter bean (Vigna lunatus)
   • Azuki bean, adzuki bean (Vigna angularis)
   • Mung bean, golden gram, green gram (Vigna radiata)
   • Black gram, Urad (Vigna mungo)
   • Scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus)
   • Ricebean (Vigna umbellata)
   • Moth bean (Vigna acontifolia)
   • Tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius)
2. Dry broad beans (Vicia faba)
   • Horse bean (Vicia faba equina)
   • Broad bean (Vicia faba)
   • Field bean (Vicia faba)
3. Dry peas (Pisum spp.)
   • Garden pea (Pisum sativum var. sativum)
   • Protein pea (Pisum sativum var. arvense)
4. Chickpea, Garbanzo, Bengal gram (Cicer arietinum)
5. Dry cowpea, Black-eyed pea, blackeye bean (Vigna unguiculata )
6. Pigeon pea, Toor, cajan pea, congo bean (Cajanus cajan)
7. Lentil (Lens culinaris)
8. Bambara groundnut, earth pea (Vigna subterranea)
9. Vetch, common vetch (Vicia sativa)
10. Lupins (Lupinus spp.)
11. Minor pulses include:
    • Lablab, hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus)
    • Jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis), sword bean (Canavalia gladiata)
    • Winged bean (Psophocarpus teragonolobus)
    • Velvet bean, cowitch (Mucuna pruriens var. utilis)
    • Yam bean (Pachyrrizus erosus)

Protein content

Pulses are 20 to 25% protein by weight, which is double the protein content of wheat and three times that of rice. For this reason, pulses are sometimes called "poor man's meat". While pulses are generally high in protein, and the digestibility of that protein is also high, they often are relatively poor in the essential amino acid methionine.^{[citation needed]} Grains (which are themselves deficient in lysine) are commonly consumed along with pulses to form a complete protein diet.

Health

Pulses have significant nutritional and health advantages for consumers.^[1] They are the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people of different ethnicities,^[2] and in the Seven Countries Study, legume consumption was highly correlated with a reduced mortality from coronary heart disease.^[3]

References

1. ^ Schneider AV (2002 Dec). "Overview of the market and consumption of pulses in Europe". Br J Nutr 88 (3): S243–50. doi:10.1079/BJN2002713. PMID 12498623. 
2. ^ Darmadi-Blackberry I, Wahlqvist ML, Kouris-Blazos A, Steen B, Lukito W, Horie Y, Horie K. (2004). "Legumes: the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people of different ethnicities". Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 13 (2): 217–20. PMID 15228991. http://www.healthyeatingclub.com/info/articles/diets-foods/Darmadi.pdf. 
3. ^ Menotti A, Kromhout D, Blackburn H, Fidanza F, Buzina R, Nissinen A (1999 Jul). "Food intake patterns and 25-year mortality from coronary heart disease: cross-cultural correlations in the Seven Countries Study. The Seven Countries Study Research Group". Eur J Epidemiol 15 (6): 507–15. doi:10.1023/A:1007529206050. PMID 10485342. 

• Food and Agriculture Organization. DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION OF COMMODITIES, 4. PULSES AND DERIVED PRODUCTS, 1994

See also

Bean Common bean

Legume Fabaceae

External links

• http://www.pulsecanada.com/
• http://www.specialcrops.mb.ca/
• http://www.grainlegumes.com/

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