Measuring Apical Pulse

1. Clean the earpieces of the stethoscope, along with its diaphragm.
2. Help the patient assume the supine or sitting position, and expose their left side of the chest.
3. Using two or three fingers, locate the place in the left wall of the chest, where the heartbeat is felt strongest.
4. After placing the diaphragm of the stethoscope on this point, listen and count the heartbeat for 30 seconds, and then multiply by two. If it is irregular, count for one minute.
5. Reposition the clothing of the resident to its initial place, and clean the stethoscope thoroughly.
6. Record all the statistics of the heartbeat within the form of the resident.