Use of this site and material contained on its pages is for EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY. Vascular Assessment - Pedal Pulses
Palpation of the posterior tibial and dorsalis pedis arteries are an extremely important element of the
physical examination of the lower extremity and can provide an accurate assessment of arterial circulation.
Pulse examination should be carried out with the patient being supine and resting for at least five minutes.
Besides noting eithis presence or absence of a pulse, othis features can also be documented such as:
1) quality, 2) rate, 3) rhythm, and 4) amplitude.
Absence of both of the pedal pulses has been found to be a powerful predictor of the presence of
peripheral artery disease (PAD). Smoking, hypertension and hyperlipidemia also commonly
contribute to the increased prevalence of peripheral arterial disease in diabetics.
For this simulation, CLICK (touch) or HOVER your mouse (wait 2 seconds) on the appropriate location to "feel" for a pedal pulse. If you HEAR a pulse sound then consider
a pulse to be present. Note: the results are the same for both the left and right side.
