Which arteries are commonly implicated as difficult to locate in older adults?

• A. Dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial
• B. Carotid and jugular
• C. Radial and ulnar
• D. Popliteal and femoral

Answer: (A)

In older adults, locating peripheral arterial pulses becomes more challenging because arteries tend to stiffen and accumulate atherosclerotic calcification with age. The pulses that are most commonly hard to find are the distal leg pulses, specifically the dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial. These arteries are further from the heart and more prone to calcification, so their pulsations can be faint or non-palpable even when blood flow is present. This distal leg impact is often amplified in conditions like diabetes or vascular disease, which is why these two pulses are frequently noted as difficult to locate in older patients. In contrast, the carotid and other upper-extremity pulses are not as consistently hard to locate solely due to aging, and the jugular is a vein, not an artery, so it’s not appropriate to compare it as an arterial pulse.