Pulse checks can save lives

London: Doctors are being urged to check the pulse of every patient they see. Research suggests that doing so could prevent 12,000 strokes a year.

Charities have called for pulse checks to become a routine part of every GP visit, to help diagnose sufferers of atrial fibrillation (AF).

AF is the most common heart rhythm disturbance, affecting around 800,000 Britons, and causes around one in seven first-time strokes. The upper chambers of the heart beat faster than normal, allowing blood to pool and generate tiny clots — which can trigger a stroke.

The most common symptom is a fast and irregular heartbeat, usually over 140 beats a minute. The report cites a UK study involving 15,000 patients, which found that GPs identified 50 per cent more cases of AF when they conducted random pulse checks.

— Daily Mail