The vibration felt while palpating pulses is referred to as:

The sensation of vibration felt while palpating pulses is known as a thrill. A thrill is typically associated with increased turbulence in blood flow, which can occur in conditions such as arteriovenous fistulas or significant stenosis in a vessel. When a thrill is palpated over an arterial pulse, it indicates that there is heightened blood flow, often due to an underlying pathology affecting the vessel.

In contrast, a bruit refers to an abnormal sound created by turbulent blood flow within a vessel, typically heard through a stethoscope rather than felt. Similarly, a murmur is a sound produced by turbulent blood flow across heart valves and is also detected audibly, not through palpation. Lastly, a pulsation is simply the rhythmic expansion and contraction felt at an artery, typically associated with the heartbeat, but does not convey the same sense of vibration associated with a thrill. Therefore, the term “thrill” accurately captures the specific tactile sensation being described.