Pulse

In medicine, pulse is the rhythmic expansion and contraction of an artery in response to the cardiac cycle (heartbeat). The pulse may be felt (palpated) in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the neck, wrist, at the groin, behind the knee, near the ankle joint, and on foot. The pulse is most commonly measured at the wrist or neck for adults and at the brachial artery for infants and very young children. A sphygmograph is an instrument for measuring the pulse.