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heart rate

File:EHR-BBII.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ1073121· pop 43· linked from 808 articles

heart rate

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Also known as heart pulse, HR, cardiac rate, heartbeat rate

number of contractions (beats) of the heart per minute (bpm)

Research

447,839 papers

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~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

A medical monitoring device displaying a normal human heart rate

Heart rate is the frequency of the heartbeat measured by the number of contractions of the heart per minute (beats per minute or bpm). The heart rate varies according to the body's physical needs, including the need to absorb oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide. It is also modulated by numerous factors, including genetics, physical fitness, stress or psychological status, diet, drugs, hormonal status, environment, and disease/illness, as well as the interaction between these factors. It is usually equal or close to the pulse rate measured at any peripheral point.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “heart rate” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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