Palpation

Hi Everybody,

Question about palpation;

Here you can see a search for the PMI on this girl.

http://xxhearts.com/images/tws-379-0047/scene1/XHCT03m.jpg

It was pretty easy to find and very noticeable in this particular case. But in most cases you feel almost nothing. Any idea how that's possible? On that particular spot, you can also visually see the skin moving.

I presume that some people have a heart which is situated closer to the ribs/skin and other do not? What do you think?

Thanks,

Dan

. . . . I presume that some people have a heart which is situated closer to the ribs/skin and other do not? What do you think?

Yes, thinner people in good shape have a heart that is closer to the skin (not ribs) because they don't have lots of fat burying it.

It's really that simple.

The heart probably is not closer to the ribs in a thin person. Conceivably in the a very obese person epicardial fat may prevent the heart from being so close to the chest wall. Remember that the heart is contained in the mediastinum which is a cavity apart from the pleural cavity. In a very thin person there is less subcutaneous fat and the skin is indeed closer to the chest wall and behind it the heart.

I think that that is an amazing picture and that listening to her Heart while filming must have been incredible!

Like mentioned by Switchablesusie and Liquidsky , its really to do with how thin or obsese someone is :

Yes, thinner people in good shape have a heart that is closer to the skin (not ribs) because they don't have lots of fat burying it.

It's really that simple.

The heart probably is not closer to the ribs in a thin person. Conceivably in the a very obese person epicardial fat may prevent the heart from being so close to the chest wall. Remember that the heart is contained in the mediastinum which is a cavity apart from the pleural cavity. In a very thin person there is less subcutaneous fat and the skin is indeed closer to the chest wall and behind it the heart.

It is also possible to see the aortic pulsation on someone that is thin especially abdominally and I have seen and felt it in a normal healthy individual .

RN

I'm a thin, athletic individual and have a visible PMI. I also have a visible aortic pulsation when I suck in my stomach.

Some have a palpable PMI and others don't. It doesn't necessarily indicate a heart abnormality unless there's also an abnormal sound with it.