The pulse is a pressure wave that is transmitted through the arterial tree with each heart beat following the alternating expansion and recoil of arteries during each cardiac cycle (Marieb and Hoehn [110]). The pulse is strongest in the arteries closest to the heart, becomes weaker in the arterioles and disappears altogether in the capillaries (Tortora and Derrickson [199]). It can be palpated in any artery that lies close to the surface of the body (Peate and Wild [157]). The portion of the radial artery at the wrist is easily accessible and therefore the radial pulse is frequently used (Figure 14.3), but there are several other clinically important arterial pulse points, such as the carotid artery, femoral artery and brachial plexus (Marieb and Hoehn [110], Tortora and Derrickson [199]) (Figure 14.4).