Heart rate:
Heart rate is the speed of heartbeat measured by the number of heart beats per unit of time-typically beats per minute (bpm). The heart rate can vary according to the body’s physical needs, including the need to absorb oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide. Tachycardia is a fast heart rate defined as above 100 bpm a rest.
Pulse:
The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed against a bone, such as at neck (carotid artery), on the inside of the elbow (brachial artery, at the wrist (radial artery), at the groin (emoral artery), behind the knee (popliteal artery), near the ankle joint (posterior tibial artery), on foot (dorsalis pedis artery). Pulse (or the count of arterial pulse per minute) is equivalent to measuring the heart rate. The study of pulse is known as sphygmology.
Differences:
| Basis | Heart rate | Pulse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition (www.oxforddictionaries.com) |
The speed at which the heart beats | A rhythmical throbbing of the arteries as blood is propelled through them, typically as felt in the wrists or neck. |
| Synonyms | Pulse rate | Oscillation, stroke, beating, vibration and throbbing |
| History | The first person to accurately measure the pulse rate was Santorio Santorii who invented the pulsilogium, a form of pendulum, based on the work by Galileo Galilei. A century later another physician, de Lacroix, used the pulsilogium to test cardiac function. | |
| Word origin | It was originated from Late Middle English: from Latin pulsus. | |
| Technique of Assessment | In the pulse rate it involves palpation using the finger pads of the two fingers. | In the heart rate, it involves the auscultation using a stethoscope. |
| Monitoring | Take pulse and graph, manually or with devices, determine if in healthy range for activity or circumstance. | Take pulse and graph manually or with devices; determine if in healthy range for activity or circumstance. |
| Pronunciation |
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| Resting Heart Rates | Men/Women: 60-100 bpm (beats per minute); pre-teens and teens (10-20 years old): 60-100 bpm; children 3-9 years old: 70-130 bpm; infants 1 day to age 3: 70-190 bpm; athletes may have resting heartbeat as low as 40 bpm. | Men/Women: 60-100 bpm (beats per minute); pre-teens and teens (10-20 years old): 60-100 bpm; children 3-9 years old: 70-130 bpm; infants 1 day to age 3: 70-190 bpm; athletes may have resting heartbeat as low as 40 bpm. |
| Maximum heart rate during exercise | Subtract individual’s age from 220bpm. | Subtract individual’s age from 220bpm. |
| Exercise target zone | Half to 85% of 220 beats- age. | Half to 85% of 220 beats- age. |
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