Final answer:
The assessment of peripheral pulses is a part of arterial assessment, used to measure the alternating expansion and recoil of arteries, providing critical information about heart rate and blood flow.
Step-by-step explanation:
The assessment of peripheral pulses is part of an arterial assessment. When you palpate a pulse, you are feeling the alternating expansion and recoil of an artery as blood moves through it. This arterial pulse cannot be felt through veins because venous pressure is too low to create the palpable pulse detected in arteries. Sites for measuring the pulse include radial, carotid, temporal, femoral, popliteal, posterior tibial, and dorsalis pedis arteries. It provides vital information about heart rate and blood flow dynamics and is clinically important for diagnosing conditions like Peripheral Arterial Disease.