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While recording the pulse rate, where exactly does a doctor press on our wrist?
Topic: Pulse rate
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Answer
(c) Artery.
The pulse is felt over an ARTERY — usually the radial artery at the wrist.
WHY ONLY AN ARTERY: the pulse is the rhythmic EXPANSION of the arterial wall each time the left ventricle contracts and drives a surge of blood into the aorta. Arteries have thick ELASTIC walls that stretch and recoil with each beat, so the wave can be felt.
Why the others fail: VEINS carry blood at LOW and steady pressure, with no pulsation. CAPILLARIES are microscopic and their walls are one cell thick. A NERVE carries impulses, not blood.
The pulse rate equals the HEART RATE, which is why counting it at the wrist tells a doctor how fast the heart is beating.
Artery.