Blood pressure (BP) is a vital sign, and its measurement is a standard clinical procedure. Blood pressure is typically represented with two numbers: systolic blood pressure (SYS) and diastolic blood pressure (DIA). These numbers describe the pulsatile nature of BP - SYS denoting the maximum, and DIA the minimum pressure during a heartbeat. This means that there is a physiological SYS and DIA during each heartbeat. Another measure of BP is the mean arterial pressure (MAP). This is the average BP, and is considered to be the body's internal measure of BP. These 3 measures of BP are displayed (in traditional units of mmHg - millimeters of mercury) as part of the results for each Pulsewave reading.

Breathing rate is a vital sign and is usually measured at rest by counting the number of breaths within a minute. The average number of breaths per minute is the average breathing rate (ABR), and is expressed in units of /min - breaths per minute. This is displayed as part of the results for each Pulsewave reading. NOTE: Average Breathing Rate as measured by Pulsewave is a "beta" result, and is still under development. Please use this result only for general information purposes - currently ABR cannot be used to detect, diagnose or treat any health condition.

With each heartbeat, an electrical signal spreads across the heart, causing it to contract in order to pump blood throughout the body. The pressure wave that is generated by the contraction of the heart and travels through the arterial system is called a pulse. The rate at which pulses occur is the Pulse Rate (PR).

Pulse rate is a vital sign, and its measurement is a standard clinical procedure. It is typically measured as the average number of pulses that occur per minute. This is the Pulse Rate Average (PRA), and is expressed in units of /min - pulses per minute. The PR is usually regular in nature; however, there are beat-to-beat variations. This change in the PR, called Pulse Rate Variability (PRV), is measured as the standard deviation of the beat-to-beat variations, and is expressed as a percentage of the PRA. These two measures of PR are displayed as part of the results for each Pulsewave reading.