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| Rate of Heart Beat |
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| The rhythmic contraction and relaxation of the heart to pump out and receive blood is called the heart beat. The rate of the heart beat varies from species to species. The smaller the animal, the higher is the metabolic rate and so greater is its heart rate. The heart rate is about 25 times per minute in a elephant and about 300 times per minute in a rat. |
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| In an healthy adult, the normal heart beat at rest is about 70-72 times per minute. It increase during fever, exercise, anger and pain. |
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| It is the volume of blood ejected from the heart in to the aorta in one minute. |
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| Pulse is defined as the wave of distension and recoiling felt in the radial artery due to the contraction of the left ventricle which force about 70-90 ml of blood into the already full aorta. |
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| It can be felt in the superficial arteries such as those in the wrist, neck, temples and ankles. It is generally felt by placing the fingers over the radial artery near the wrist. It can also be felt in the temporal artery over the temporal bone, or the dorsalis pedis artery at the bend of the ankle. |
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| Since each heart beat generates one pulse in the arteries, the pulse rate per minute indicates the heart rate and is 72 per minute. It is affected by various factors such as posture of the body, age, sex, exercise and emotions. |
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