Crossword Genius

Pick up and treat irregular pulse (5,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

heart rate

'pulse' is the definition.
('heart rate' can be a synonym of 'pulse')

'pick up and treat irregular' is the wordplay.
'pick up' becomes 'hear' (hearing is a kind of picking up).
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'irregular' indicates an anagram.
'treat' is an anagram of 'trate'.
'hear'+'trate'='HEART RATE'

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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