One of the first steps of physical examination
That I had to learn as a physician
Was to palpate the radial pulse at the wrist
And from its characteristics get a gist
Of what could be ailing the patient before me
To differentiate between patients both critically ill and relatively healthy
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The weak thready pulse as the hallmark of shock state
The bounding pulse of a valve that regurgitates
The irregularities that different arrhythmias define
The rate of the pulse, an important vital sign
They are pieces of a puzzle, the initial clues
That the next best steps allow you to choose
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For years, the most ominous sign I knew
Was the inability to find a pulse, prompting activation of “code blue”
Until I learnt about the revolutionary ventricular assist device (VAD) technology
With a machine to help the heart pump, a patient pulseless could be
I was captivated by the concept, and it turned out to be
The direction my career would take ultimately
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In my professional life, patients with sick hearts I treat
With the help of heart pumps, their heart failure we try to defeat
There is an uplifting paradox contained here
The pulseless compared to their prior selves with a pulse are healthier…
Passion...unbridled 