When pressing the carotid artery from the neck the person is
most likely checking for pulse rates. There are two types of pulse rates and
these are called: Resting Heart Rate (RHR) and Maximum Heart Rate (MHR).
Resting Heart Rate (RHR) refers to the ability of the heart to pump blood
efficiently when at rest. This is usually taken early in the morning when the
person has just woken up. It is taken for 3 full minutes and the normal ranges
of RHR should only be between 80-120 beats per minute.
Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) refers to the maximum capacity of
the heart to pump efficiently. A human heart beat can only perform a maximum of
220 beats per minute. The MHR is taken by deducting your age from the value of
220.
