COMPLETE heart block, with slow, regular ventricular beats, usually gives rise to a systolic murmur. 1–4 Generally, this murmur is thought to result from the large stroke volume, which produces rapid ...

IT IS possible that the existence of the heart sounds was known to Hippocrates 1 and even that he made use of his knowledge for diagnostic purposes, but William Harvey 2 seems to have been the first ...

The primary purpose of the cardiac examination is to assess the structure and function of the heart as a muscular pump and to evaluate it for possible malfunctions. Because heart disease is so common ...

The ventricles share a common septum and, therefore, the filling of one influences the compliance of the other. This phenomenon is known as direct diastolic ventricular interaction. The interaction is ...

My rationale for beginning at the mitral area is to compare the auscultatory findings with those previously obtained by percussion and palpation (see Nonauscultatory Cardiac Exam: Assessing the ...

The first heart sound (S1) results from the closing of the mitral and tricuspid valves. The sound produced by the closure of the mitral valve is termed M1, and the sound produced by closure of the ...

Diastole and systole refer to when the heart muscles relax and contract. The balance between diastolic and systolic pressure determines a person’s blood pressure. A blood pressure reading displays ...

A 47-year-old woman, previously not treated for chronic diseases, was admitted to the hospital in a severe condition and with symptoms of New York Heart Association class IV heart failure (HF) ...