HEART RATE

 

INTRODUCTION: A healthy adult has a resting heart rate also known as, pulse, of 60 to 80 beats per minute, which is the rate of depolarization of the Sinoartrial node abbreviated as SA node. The SA node actually has a slightly faster rate, closer to 100 beats per minute, but is slowed by parasympathetic nerve impulses to what we consider a normal resting rate. A rate less than 60, except for athletes, is called bradycardia; a prolonged or consistent rate greater than 100 beats per minute is called tachycardia.

FETAL AND INFANTS’ HEART RATE: A child’s normal heart rate may be as high as 100 beats per minute, that of an infant as high as 120, and that of a near-term fetus as high as 140 beats per minute. These higher rates are not related to age, but rather to size: the smaller the individual, the higher the metabolic rate and the faster the heart rate.

RELATED;

1. THE HEART AND CARDIAC FUNCTIONING

2. HEART SOUNDS AND CIRCULATION THROUGH THE HEART

3. BLOOD PRESSURE AND HYPERTENSION

REFERENCES