Aircraft Emergency Procedures – Decompression, Evacuation, and Medical First Aid Practice Test

Counting a pulse is done at arteries that are close to the skin and easy to feel. The wrist (radial artery) and the neck (carotid artery) are the standard sites because they give a strong, reliable pulse you can count quickly. The thumb should be avoided because it has its own pulse, which can interfere with feeling someone else’s pulse and lead to an inaccurate count. The elbow and ankle are not the typical quick-check sites for this purpose. So the best approach is to count the pulse at the wrist or neck, never the thumb.