Ask the patient to sit and lean forward standing on the right side of the patient, put your right palm
over the sternum transversely in such a way that your fingers lie over the pulmonanary area, centre of the palm rests over the sternum and thenar hypothenar eminences lie over the aortic area.
What to palpate?
- Pulsation.
- Palpable heart sounds
- Thrill.
Causes of pulsation over the pulmonary area
- Severe pulmonary hypertension.
- Atrial septal defect-ASD
- Patent ductus arteriosus-PDA.
- Ventricular septal defect-VSD.
- Idiopathic dilatation of pulmonary artery.
