San Francisco, CA - Calling into question the "time-honored" tradition of using third and fourth heart sounds to identify cardiac abnormalities, a new study indicates that the overall diagnostic ...

The fourth heart sound (S4), also known as the "atrial gallop", occurs just before S1 when the atria contract to force blood into the LV. If the LV is non-compliant and atrial contraction forces blood ...

When a doctor listens to the heart of a person with a heart murmur, they may hear a whooshing, swishing, humming, or rasping sound. This is due to rapid, turbulent blood flow through the heart.

What alteration in the heart sounds is heard in a patient having an acute coronary syndrome? What is the physiologic mechanism? An acute coronary syndrome causes an S4 heart sound. Remember the LV ...