![]() Pulse characteristics include contour and amplitude of the pulse. Rhythm should be determined as regular, regularly irregular, or irregularly irregular. This process works to give a relatively accurate rate unless an irregularly irregular rate is present such as in atrial fibrillation, in which case, auscultation of the heart for the rate should be done. To determine the rate, the examiner should count the radial pulse for 30 seconds and multiply by 2. The valves are best auscultated as follows :Īrterial pulse: When palpating the arterial pulse, the examiner should be able to gather the rate, rhythm, and characteristics. The position of heart valves relative to the chest wall will dictate the optimal position for auscultation. “Dub” is the second heart sound (S2), marks the end of systole and the beginning of diastole and is generated by the closure of aortic and pulmonic valves. “Lub” being the first heart sound (S1), marks the beginning of systole and is generated by the turbulence caused by the closing of the mitral and tricuspid valves. ![]() Heart sounds are typically portrayed as a “lub and a dub” sound. Blood pressure also depends on stroke volume, blood velocity, compliance of the arteries, and blood viscosity. Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart is relaxing, is the minimum pressure in the arteries, and depends on peripheral vascular resistance. Systolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart is beating and is the maximum pressure in the arteries. The pressure of the ejected blood against the arterial wall generates blood pressure along with peripheral vascular resistance. The high-pressure left-sided system then pumps the blood through the aortic valve into the aorta and throughout the body. Oxygenated blood is then pushed through the pulmonary vein into the left atrium, which then goes through the mitral valve into the left ventricle. From there, deoxygenated blood transverses the pulmonic valve into the pulmonary artery through which it goes to the lungs for gas exchange. It then passes through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle. The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from superior and inferior vena cava. The atria are separated by the interatrial septum, while the interventricular septum separates the ventricles. It's divided into four chambers, two atria and two ventricles, respectively. The heart is a thoracic organ-confined between the lungs, above the diaphragm. To perform a successful physical exam, one must understand the structural anatomy of the heart.
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