Cardiac apex Flashcards
What condition is indicated by a laterally or inferiorly displaced apex beat?
Cardiomegaly (enlarged heart)
What does an apex beat that moves outside and down from its normal position suggest?
Left ventricular hypertrophy
Which condition can cause a thrusting displaced apex beat due to a large stroke volume?
Volume overload (often from aortic or mitral regurgitation)
What condition is associated with a sustained apex beat?
Pressure overload (such as from aortic stenosis or gross hypertension)
What condition is suggested by a tapping apex beat?
Mitral stenosis
What does a diffuse pulsation asynchronous with the apex beat indicate?
Left ventricular aneurysm
What condition is indicated by a double or triple impulse at the apex beat?
Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy
What can displace the apex beat besides cardiac conditions?
Pleural or pulmonary diseases, deformities of the chest wall, or thoracic vertebrae deformities
Where is the normal left ventricular apex impulse located?
Back: At or medial to the left midclavicular line in the fourth or fifth intercostal space.
What changes occur in the apex beat with left ventricular hypertrophy?
Back: Exaggeration of the amplitude, duration, and size of the normal left ventricular thrust.
It may be displaced laterally and downward into the sixth or seventh intercostal space.
In which cases might the left ventricular apex impulse be displaced laterally and downward?
Back: In left ventricular hypertrophy with volume load, such as in aortic regurgitation or lesions like aortic stenosis or hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM).
What is a typical finding in right ventricular hypertrophy?
Back: A sustained systolic lift at the lower left parasternal area, synchronous with the left ventricular apical impulse.
