This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Impalpable apex beat

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

If the apex beat is impalpable then the following possibilities should be considered:

  • the patient has an excessively muscular or fat chest wall
  • left pleural effusion, pneumothorax, or emphysema
  • there may be a large pericardial effusion
  • constrictive pericarditis
  • marked mediastinal shift
  • dextrocardia
  • very rarely, massive left ventricular hypertrophy may cause the apex beat to be displaced past the mid-axillary line

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.