The number of contractions over a peripheral artery in 1 minute is called what?

• A. Pulse rate
• B. Blood pressure
• C. Respiratory rate
• D. Temperature

Answer: (A)

The pulse rate. It’s the number of heartbeats felt over a peripheral artery in one minute, typically measured as beats per minute (bpm) when you palpate a site like the radial artery. This reflects the heart’s activity as its contractions create the pulse you can feel in arteries. The other options describe different things: blood pressure is the force of blood against vessel walls (not a count of beats), respiratory rate is breaths per minute, and temperature is body heat. Resting pulse usually ranges from about 60 to 100 bpm, with athletic individuals often lower.