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The apex beat (lat. ictus cordis), also called the apical impulse, [1] is the pulse felt at the point of maximum impulse (PMI), which is the point on the precordium farthest outwards (laterally) and downwards (inferiorly) from the sternum at which the cardiac impulse can be felt.
The apex beat is assessed for size, amplitude, location, impulse and duration. There are specific terms to describe the sensation such as tapping, heaving and thrusting. Often the apex beat is felt diffusely over a large area, in this case the most inferior and lateral position it can be felt in should be described as well as the location of ...
In medicine, the pulse is the rhythmic throbbing of each artery in response to the cardiac cycle (heartbeat). [1] The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the neck (carotid artery), wrist (radial artery or ulnar artery), at the groin (femoral artery), behind the knee (popliteal artery), near the ankle joint ...
Assuming a healthy heart and a typical rate of 70 to 75 beats per minute, each cardiac cycle, or heartbeat, takes about 0.8 second to complete the cycle. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] Duration of the cardiac cycle is inversely proportional to the heart rate.
Anticoagulants: To prevent embolization.. Beta blockers: To block the effects of certain hormones on the heart to slow the heart rate.. Calcium Channel Blockers: Help slow the heart rate by blocking the number of electrical impulses that pass through the AV node into the lower heart chambers (ventricles).
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The presence of a murmur at the apex can be misinterpreted as mitral regurgitation. However, the apical murmur of the Gallavardin phenomenon does not radiate to the left axilla and is accentuated by a slowing of the heart rate (such as a compensatory pause after a premature beat) whereas the mitral regurgitation murmur does not change. [2]
A forceful apex beat indicates left ventricular pressure overload, while a right ventricular heave suggests right ventricular pressure overload. Other signs provide evidence for specific causes of pressure overload. Hypertension is diagnosed by sphygmomanometry.