A medical condition characterized by an extremely weak or barely perceptible pulse, especially at the extremities.
From Greek 'a-' (without) plus 'krotos' (beating/pulse) plus '-ism'. The term literally means 'absence of beating' and was coined to describe the pathological state of having no detectable pulse.
Doctors in the 1800s thought acrotism was a sign of approaching death, but modern medicine recognizes it can happen in shock, severe dehydration, or during cardiac surgery—it's not always fatal, just terrifying!
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