Doctor checking pulse of and elderly person - Stock-Fotografie

Medical consultation. General practitioner checking the pulse of an elderly patient. He is using the superficial radial artery in the wrist, the most common site for measuring pulse rate. The pulse is measured by counting the number of times the artery throbs per minute. This corresponds with the number of heart beats per minute. Abnormally high or low rates can indicate disease of the heart or vascular system.