MODEL RELEASED. Pulse measurement. Doctor takes the pulse of a woman in a hospital bed. He holds the superficial radial artery in the wrist, the most common site for taking this measurement. The pulse is a series of pressure waves within an artery caused by contraction of the left ventricle of the heart, and corresponds with the number of times the heart beats during a minute. A normal, resting adult pulse rate is 60-80 beats per minute. This pulse rate may vary considerably due to injury, illness, excerise or emotional upset.