Pulse - weak or absent

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Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Neck pulse

Overview

Treatment

Pulse - weak or absent

Definition:

Weak or absent pulse is any difficulty in feeling a pulse, or an inability to detect a pulse at all. See also the information on CPR for more information about first-aid procedures.

Alternative Names:

Weak pulse; Absent pulse

Considerations:

An absent or weak pulse may affect one limb or affect the whole body.

The absence of a pulse as determined by a lay person (someone who is not a medical professional) may not indicate a problem. Sometimes the process itself of feeling for a pulse (such as in the wrist) may make a pulse hard to detect.

Common Causes:

Improper technique used to feel for the pulse
Normally weak pulse that is difficult to measure without proper instruments
Shock
Cardiac arrest (lack of an effective heartbeat)

Review Date: 2/9/2005
Reviewed By: Thomas A. Owens, M.D., Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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