A pulse is the rhythmic pulsations produced by a person's heartbeat as waves of blood circulate and expand the body's arteries. When the artery that expands with these rhythmic beats is the femoral artery, the pulsations that can be felt are called the femoral pulse. The femoral artery is a very large blood vessel that supplies oxygenated blood to the thigh, a fact that makes some people think that the femoral pulse would be stronger than other pulses in the body. However, it is the most difficult pulse to locate and usually does not feel very strong.
The pulses derive their names from the specific artery that is compressed on a specific bone. For example, the femoral pulse is produced by the femoral artery pressing on the femur, which is the thigh bone. Although the presence of a pulse is a vital sign, the femoral pulse is almost never checked to see if someone is alive. The carotid or radial pulse is checked instead as a sign of life. However, a femoral pulse ensures that oxygenated blood reaches the thigh.
It is correct to say that a person has two femoral pulses, one for each thigh. Pulsations can be felt in the crease between the abdomen and either side of the groin area, depending on which is located. If an individual is obese, it is usually extremely difficult to palpate their femoral pulse. The femoral artery supplies oxygen-rich blood to the thigh, and the blood comes from the heart and does not flow to it. The femoral vein is the vessel through which blood returns to the heart.
Although it is the thigh that is supplied with blood by this main artery, the lower leg is also supplied with blood, because the artery branches or bifurcates as it travels down the thigh. However, when blood vessels branch, their names also change. This helps healthcare providers pinpoint a specific area of the body at any given time. The absence or weakness of a femoral pulse would alert healthcare providers to the need to check ankle and foot pulses, as they are distal to the thigh. Cases of severe bleeding from the femoral artery may require pressure to be applied to the area of this pulse to control the bleeding.