Physical Exam

Radial Artery Palpation

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Video coming September 2026

How to Perform

Place the pads of your index and middle fingers over the radial artery on the palmar-lateral aspect of the wrist, just medial to the distal radius and lateral to the flexor carpi radialis tendon. Press gently and assess the rate, rhythm, and strength/contour of the pulse.

How to Interpret

Atrial Fibrillation

Irregularly irregular pulse

Rule in

Helpful

Rule out

Very helpful

Evidence:Strong

References

Naylor JF, Fisher AD, April MD, Schauer SG. An analysis of radial pulse strength to recorded blood pressure in the Department of Defense Trauma Registry. Mil Med. 2020 Dec 30;185(11-12):e1903-e1907. doi:10.1093/milmed/usaa197. PMID: 32754740.
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Barry MA, Qu K, Gainey M, et al. Derivation and internal validation of a score to predict dehydration severity in patients over 5 years with acute diarrhea. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2021;105(5):1368-1375. PMID: 34398821. (See also Levine AC, et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021;15(3):e0009266.)
Barry MA, Qu K, Gainey M, et al. Derivation and internal validation of a score to predict dehydration severity in patients over 5 years with acute diarrhea. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2021;105(5):1368-1375. PMID: 34398821.
Garratt CJ, Griffith MJ, Young G, Curzen N, Brecker S, Rickards AF, Camm AJ. Value of physical signs in the diagnosis of ventricular tachycardia. Circulation. 1994;90(6):3103-3107. PMID: 7994860.
Vazquez R, Gheorghe C, Kaufman D, Manthous CA. Accuracy of bedside physical examination in distinguishing categories of shock: a pilot study. J Hosp Med. 2010;5(8):471-474. PMID: 20945471.
Taggar JS, Coleman T, Lewis S, Heneghan C, Jones M. Accuracy of methods for detecting an irregular pulse and suspected atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2016;23(12):1330-1338. PMID: 26464292.
McGee S, Abernethy WB 3rd, Simel DL. The rational clinical examination. Is this patient hypovolemic? JAMA. 1999;281(11):1022-1029. PMID: 10086438.
Choudhry NK, Etchells EE. The rational clinical examination. Does this patient have aortic regurgitation? JAMA. 1999;281(23):2231-2238. PMID: 10376577.
Bickley LS, Szilagyi PG, Hoffman RM, Soriano RP. Bates' Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer; 2021.
Swartz MH. Textbook of Physical Diagnosis: History and Examination. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025.

Research last updated September 10, 2026.