Difference Between Heart Rate and Pulse Rate

In daily conversations and even in hospitals, people use the terms 'Heart Rate' and 'Pulse Rate' interchangeably, as if they mean the exact same thing. While the mathematical number (the count) is usually identical in a healthy human, medically and biologically, they describe two completely different physical actions happening inside the body.

Question (Click to Flip)

Can the Heart Rate and Pulse Rate ever be different numbers?

Answer

Yes. In patients suffering from severe heart disease (like Atrial Fibrillation), the heart shakes weakly instead of giving a massive pump. The heart 'beats' (Heart Rate), but the pump is so incredibly weak that the blood wave doesn't reach the wrist (Pulse Rate). In this dangerous situation, Heart Rate > Pulse Rate.

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Key Facts

A normal resting heart rate for a healthy adult is between 60 to 100 beats per minute. However, elite athletes (like massive marathon runners) have such powerful hearts that their resting heart rate can be as incredibly low as 40 beats per minute.

You should never use your thumb to check someone's pulse. The thumb has its own strong, independent blood vessel, and you might accidentally feel your own pulse instead of the patient's.

1. What is Heart Rate?

Definition: Heart rate is strictly the mechanical action of the heart muscle. It is the exact number of times the heart completely contracts (squeezes) and relaxes in one minute.
Location: It happens exclusively inside your chest.
How it is measured: A doctor measures your heart rate by physically placing a Stethoscope directly on your chest over your heart to listen to the 'Lub-Dub' sound.

2. What is Pulse Rate?

Definition: Every time the massive heart muscle squeezes, it violently shoots high-pressure blood into the arteries. This sudden blast of blood creates a physical pressure wave (a shockwave) that travels down the elastic walls of your blood vessels. The 'Pulse' is simply you feeling this shockwave hitting the walls of your arteries.
Location: It can be felt anywhere in the body where a major artery passes close to the skin and over a bone.
How it is measured: You measure it by pressing two fingers against your wrist (Radial artery) or the side of your neck (Carotid artery) and feeling the physical thumping.

3. The Core Difference

Heart Rate is the cause (the engine pumping).
Pulse Rate is the effect (the shockwave traveling through the pipes).
Under normal conditions, if your heart beats 72 times, it will send exactly 72 shockwaves down your arm. Therefore, Heart Rate = Pulse Rate (72 beats per minute).

Questions and Answers

Can the Heart Rate and Pulse Rate ever be different numbers?+

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