This patient's carotid arterial pulse is normal. When palpating gently, again, medial to the sternocleidomastoid, one clearly feels a normal upstroke, peak and downstroke. You've got to feel lots of pulses to know what is normal.

There are abnormalities when the pulse is small or hypokinetic, or it's very enhanced and hyperdynamic, and sometimes two impulses are felt.

Now, in this patient, again, to reinforce the normality of the impulse, one can observe that contour and amplitude by placing a cotton swab over the vessel and observing the movement of the tip of that cotton swab.

Bifid CAP

In contrast to that, an abnormal impulse may be seen - for example, when the patient has a bifid or double arterial pulse. Under those circumstances - we'll call this up now on "Harvey" - one feels two impulses in systole, and we'll give you that example again, enhancing it with the tip of the cotton swab. Watch carefully... Two impulses in systole, not one. Feel lots of pulses and you'll really fully understand what normal is, so you can assess abnormal.