pulseloze

Pulseloze is a Dutch adjective meaning without a pulse. It is used to describe the absence of a detectable arterial pulse, typically in medical contexts. The term commonly appears in clinical documentation, triage notes, and research when detailing conditions that compromise circulation, such as cardiac arrest or severe shock.

In practice, a patient described as pulseless may have a pulseless electrical activity (PEA) or another rhythm disturbance without an effective mechanical pulse. The word itself indicates a clinical sign rather than a specific diagnosis and signals the need for urgent assessment and intervention, including resuscitation measures, airway management, and circulatory support.

Etymology and form: the word is formed from the root puls (pulse) and the suffix loos (without). The ending -e is used in Dutch as part of the attributive form before certain nouns, so pulseloze is typically seen before feminine or plural nouns (for example, pulseloze toestand). The base form without the -e, pulseloos, can also appear, depending on the grammatical context.

Context and usage: pulselessness is a general medical concept described in Dutch as pulsloosheid or, in phrases, pulseloze toestand. In everyday clinical language, clinicians may choose simpler expressions such as geen polsslag (no pulse) or afwezigheid van pols, with pulseloze appearing primarily in more formal or written medical text.

See also: polsslag, pols, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, pulseless electrical activity.