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Thumbs have more blood flow than your fingers and could mess up your timing when checking your pulse.

The thumb has a pulse point of its own, so you would be feeling two conflicting pulses at the same time.

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14y ago
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13y ago

Simply because your thumb has its own noticeable pulse. Using the pointer and the middle finger is a more accurate way to check.

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13y ago

Thumbs have a pulse that can overwhelm the pulse of the person needing their pulse taken.

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Q: Why do you not use the thumb for taking the pulse rate?
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Which finger should you not use when taking pulse?

The thumb because it has a pulse of it's own.


When is the carotid artery use as a pulse?

The radial artery is used most often for a pulse. But in the case of someone who is not responding the carotid is checked. It is awkward to ask questions when taking a pulse rate at the carotid.


Should take your client's pulse with your thumb against their wrist?

No. Use your fingers when finding a pulse. Don't use your thumb when finding it, as it has its own pulse.Find the radial pulse. This is also known as the pulse on the inside of the wrist. Use the pads of three fingers. Place these just below the wrist creases at the base of the thumb. Press lightly until you feel a pulse (blood pulsing under your fingers). If necessary, move fingers around until you feel the pulse.Alternatively find the carotid pulse. Alternatively, to feel a pulse on the side of the neck, place two fingers, preferably your index and middle finger, in the hollow between the windpipe and the large muscle in the neck. Press lightly until you feel a pulse.1. Check and record the rate, strength and rhythm. Use a watch or clock with a second hand. Make a note of the rate of the pulse, which is the number of beats per minute. Check the strength of the pulse to see if it is strong or weak and if the rhythm is regular or irregular.o If you don't have a watch or a clock around, the Cleveland Clinic Health System recommends counting the beats you feel for 15 seconds and multiplying this by four to get your heart rate per minute:§ Your pulse is _______________ (beats in 15 seconds) x 4 = ________________(your pulse)[1] You can count beats for 30 seconds and multiply by 2.


How do you check your pulse rate?

A pulse rate can be checked for 6 seconds( the number counted is then multiplied by 10), it can be checked for 10 seconds ( the resulting number is multiplied by 6), or it can be checked for 15 seconds ( and the resulting number is then multiplied by 4).


How do you take a pulse?

You count your heartbeats during 1 minute, normally by feeling on the side of your neck.You take someone's pulse by putting a finger to the neck artery (carotid) or the wrist (side closest to thumb). It is important that you use a finger for this and not your thumb so that you don't end up taking your own pulse. Links can be found below for more informationIf time is of the essence, count for 15 seconds and multiply by four, or 30 seconds and multiply by two. One can also use the femoral arteries to the sides of the groin. Or in cases of infants, the brachial artery on the medial (inside) part of the bicep is used.

Related questions

Which finger should you not use when taking pulse?

The thumb because it has a pulse of it's own.


Why can you not take your pulse with your thumb?

I was taught in nursing school that both the thumb and index finger have a pulse, so that when taking someone else's pulse, use the middle and ring finger


Should you use your thumb to take a heart rate?

Your heart rate can be taken at any spot on the body at which an artery is close to the surface and a pulse can be felt. You should always use your fingers to take a pulse, not your thumb, particularly when recording someone else's pulse, as you can sometimes feel your own pulse through your thumb.


Why shouldn't you use your thumb when taking a pulse?

You can actually feel your own heartbeat in your thumb. You wouldnt get a correct pulse if you feel your heartbeat on the patient


Can you measure pulse by your thumb?

When you put your thumb over a vein sufficiently close to the surface of your skin, you should feel a gentle throbbing underneath your th8mb. The throbbing should be steady. This is your heartbeat. If you count between the beats you get your pulse rate.


What fingers have a pulse?

No.. the index finger does not have a pulse... for this reason, when feeling for a person's pulse, you use your middle finger and your index finger (you never use your thumb as it has a pulse)


Can you have a pulse after your heart stops beating?

The pulse is the feeling of an artery caused by the movement of blood from the heart. If the heart stops, there will be no pulse. A common mistake in first aid is to use ones thumb to take a pulse. There is a major blood vessel that goes through the thumb. If a person were to try to take a pulse with their thumb rather than the first two fingers, the person taking the pulse would be registering their own heartbeat rather than that of the victim.


Why can you substitute pulse rate for heart rate?

Because they are one and the same. When you feel a persons pulse with the forefinger, and not the thumb, you feel each individual beat of the heart. The reason you dont use the thumb, is because you can actually feel your own heart beat as well, making the reading innacurate. The best way to read a pulse is to count the beats for a total of 15 seconds and multiply by 4.


What measurement do you use for pulse rate?

Beats per minute is pulse rate.


Where can pulse be detected?

Your pulse can be detected on the side of your throat, you can also feel it on your wrist. When checking your pulse, DO NOT use your thumb, it has a small pulse of it's own.


What formula would you initially use to determine the patients pulse rate per minute?

It's not necessarily a formula that people use when determining a patients pulse rate per minute. Under normal circumstances, a medical professional will check the radial pulse (the wrist area) for thirty seconds. How ever many beats the person counts, they simply multiply it by two to discover the BPM (beats per minute). For a more accurate reading (or when a patient has irregular beats) sometimes the health care provider will count the beats for a full minute and report that number. Remember: never use your thumb to check a person's pulse! Your thumb has a pulse rate of its own.


Where did pulse rate be located?

your heart rate is usually monitered in beats per minute. You can find your pulse on arteries. with some people it is more detectable than others. Hold two fingers against the skin to feel it. Dont use your thumb as your thumb has a pulse and you wont get an accurate reading. Here are some easy ones: The carotid arteries - the two arteries going up your neck. They are on either side of your voicebox and give quite a strong pulse. The radial artery - this is detectable on your wrist, just below the thumb. The distal paedis - in the middle of the top of your foot.