Which pulse would be of most concern?

Which pulse would be of most concern?

• A. Two-month-old infant: 110 bpm at rest
• B. Five-day-old infant: 70 bpm after crying
• C. Seventeen-year-old athlete: 50 bpm at rest
• D. Ten-year-old boy: 104 bpm after exercise

Answer: (B)

Understanding normal heart rates by age helps you spot when something is off. Newborns typically run a fast heart rate, about 100–160 beats per minute at rest. A pulse of 70 in a five-day-old, even after crying, is unexpectedly low because crying should raise the heart rate. This bradycardia in a neonate can signal problems with oxygenation, circulation, or heart conduction and needs prompt assessment. In the other scenarios, the numbers fit expected patterns: a two-month-old with 110 is within the normal infant range; a seventeen-year-old athlete commonly has a resting rate in the 40s–60s due to conditioning, which is usually not concerning if there are no symptoms; and a ten-year-old with 104 after exercise is a typical post-exercise rate as the heart responds to activity.

Understanding normal heart rates by age helps you spot when something is off. Newborns typically run a fast heart rate, about 100–160 beats per minute at rest. A pulse of 70 in a five-day-old, even after crying, is unexpectedly low because crying should raise the heart rate. This bradycardia in a neonate can signal problems with oxygenation, circulation, or heart conduction and needs prompt assessment.

In the other scenarios, the numbers fit expected patterns: a two-month-old with 110 is within the normal infant range; a seventeen-year-old athlete commonly has a resting rate in the 40s–60s due to conditioning, which is usually not concerning if there are no symptoms; and a ten-year-old with 104 after exercise is a typical post-exercise rate as the heart responds to activity.