OT: How to count a heart rate

Feb 09, 2018 32 Replies

Why have I never noticed this before? I accidentally heard my cat's heartbeat, and realised it was in pairs. So I thought, do you count all of them singly, or the number of pairs? Wikipedia suggests it's pairs, judging by the 72bpm heart rate sound on this page which is actually 144bpm:

formatting link



Maybe when you take a pulse you only feel one of each pair (not that I've ever been able to find my or anyone else's pulse, I've always listened with my ear).


There are 2 valves hence they describe the sound as Lub-dub, one valve opens to push blood to wherever and the other closes. I suspect the pulse is the pushing part as the blood surges around the body.

Maybe that cat has two hearts..... :)

How do you find your own pulse?

One in place of it's brain? It certainly has zero intelligence.

Press three fingers into the inside of the other wrist on the thumb side. (Don't use your thumb as that has a pulse of its own.)

I don't think it would matter if he felt his thumb pulse instead of his radial artery pulse. Or do you suppose he needs to learn the proper technique for feeling others' pulses?

Grasp your neck firmly like you are trying to choke yourself. If you can't find the pulse in your carotids you're dead.

The easy way is to download the free "accurate heart rate" app off play and put you finger over the camera on your phone.

failing that the pulse in the neck is easy.

He might, one day.

I can never do that, on myself at any rate.

I'm amused when people in TV dramas do it to tell (immediately) whether a person is dead. I don't see how you can be sure you have your fingers in the right place or the person's artery isn't deep, or the pulse weak.

TV doctors are much better than your average ER doc...which also explains why TV doctors make more than ordinary doctors.

Nope, can't feel a pulse at all. I can sometimes feel a pulse in my neck, from my neck, without using fingers, if I've just been running fast, otherwise it's not detectable from the outside.

Huh. I can detect my pulse just by listening. It works only in a fairly quiet place, though.

Cindy Hamilton

I've only noticed that if I'm lying in bed in a certain position, and am nervous so it's louder.

Mammalian hearts have 4 valves, not 2. Fish have a 2 chambered heart.

[snip]

And reptiles have a 3 chambered heart. An inefficient design (in some ways like the inefficient "back and forth" respiratory system).

On 02/10/2018 07:28 AM, James Wilkinson Sword wrote: [snip]

Sometimes I do to, the first time I noticed that was after climbing a steep hill on a hot day.

How long has that inefficient design been working? One day after fishing out a horseshoe crab, I pondered that a design that has worked fro 450 million years must have something going for it. I released her and she scuttled away. Her offspring will probably be merrily swimming around when the very efficient h*mo sapiens is toast.

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required