Kane says a good rule of thumb is if your child's heart is beating too fast for you to count the beats, then medical help may be needed. A child typically experiences a slower heart rate when sleeping. However, if their heart rate is slow in the middle of the day and they show symptoms of lethargy or experience fainting, they may need medical help. Measuring your child's pulse is easy.
There are several places on the body where you can check the pulse including the wrist, inside the elbow or the side of the neck. For most parents, the wrist is the easiest, most accessible place. To check your child's heart rate, place two fingers on their wrist, below their thumb. Apply gentle pressure until you can feel a slight beat against your fingertips. Count how many beats you feel in 15 seconds.
Then multiply that number by 4 to determine your child's heart rate, which is measured in beats per minute. For instance, if you feel 20 beats in 15 seconds, your child's heart rate is 80 beats per minute, a normal rate.
However, you may not be able to easily find a pulse in infants or younger children who have smaller blood vessels. A medical professional with experience in caring for children will likely need to take their pulse. Use a clock with a second hand, a stopwatch, or the timer on a cell phone to track the time.
You might also want to use a phone app that measures the pulse. These often require you to place a finger on the camera lens for the measurement, so they may not be a good choice for young children who have a hard time holding still.
Before looking at what is considered a normal pulse rate, keep in mind that health professionals talk about a couple of different types of heart rates. Listed are the normal ranges of heart rates in children from birth to 18 years of age based on a large review study published in the Lancet.
These measurements are taken from children at rest and in infants who are awake and healthy. The median number is listed as the "resting heart rate" and represents the middle heart rate of the whole sample. During crying or physical activity, a child's pulse rate may climb to the upper limits of what is normal for their age. Likewise, it may drop to the lower limits of normal when they are sleeping.
There are some inconsistencies among various reference ranges for pediatric heart rate. Your pediatrician can give you a more accurate normal rate specifically for your child. Use this as a guide, but not a hard and fast rule. As you can see, younger children normally have faster heart rates than teenagers. On the other hand, very athletic teens can have resting pulse rates as low as 40 to 50 beats per minute.
This is because they are so fit that their heart does not have to work as hard to move blood through the body. A child's pulse rate can be normal, fast tachycardia , or slow bradycardia. In some forms of tachycardia, like supraventricular tachycardia SVT , the heart rate can rise above beats per minute. In contrast, a child with bradycardia may have a heart rate of less than 50 beats per minute. A very fast or slow heart rate can be a medical emergency, especially if your child has any symptoms associated with it, such as:.
It's also important to talk to your pediatrician if your child always seems to be at either the upper or lower limits of normal. For example, tell your child's doctor if:. A heart rate above the upper limit of normal may be a sign of an underlying heart condition. It could also be a clue to other problems in the body, such as an infection or a metabolic condition. In addition to the pulse rate how many times per minute the heart beats , the rhythm of the pulse can also be regular or irregular.
An irregular heart rate can signal a heart problem. It's a good idea to contact your pediatrician if you think your child's pulse feels erratic or unsteady, especially if it happens often or lasts a long time. Any type of abnormal heart rate—whether in the rate or rhythm—is called arrhythmia. Not all arrhythmias are a cause for concern. Some are harmless, but others may require medical treatment. For example, in addition to your child's pulse, your doctor may also check their blood pressure and order an electrocardiogram ECG, also called an EKG.
It can also provide clues on whether the heart is enlarged or working too hard. In addition to heart problems, your doctor may also do blood tests, such as a complete blood count or a thyroid test, to check for underlying infections and conditions like anemia or hyperthyroidism that can affect your child's heart rate. In some instances, your doctor may refer you to a pediatric cardiologist, a specialist in heart conditions for children.
For example, one controllable factor is caffeine. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Updated visitor guidelines.
Top of the page. Topic Overview What are vital signs? References Citations Harman M, et al. Pediatric emergency and resuscitation.
In RM Kliegman et al.
0コメント