Detecting the gallop: the third heart sound and its significance

Ramani, Subha; Weber, Brittany N

doi:10.5694/mja16.00613

Topics

Good technique and a reflective approach assist clinicians to identify an easily missed indicator of ventricular dysfunction

The term “gallop rhythm” was first coined in 1847 by Jean-Baptiste Bouillaud to describe the cadence of three heart sounds occurring in rapid succession. It was further described by his pupil Pierre Potain as follows:

1 Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
2 Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Correspondence: sramani@bwh.harvard.edu

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

Series editors
Balakrishnan (Kichu) Nair
Simon O’Connor

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