Odd heart sound?

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I'm still in nursing school and had a question about a recent pt. My instructor and nurse weren't really sure either.

Why would the apical pulse be strong on the right side of the chest and weak on the left?

CHF pt btw. That was the only reason we could come up with. I discovered this while listening to lung sounds. It has been driving me crazy! :banghead: Any answers?

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

What's the usual cause of CHF? Left ventricular failure... Most common cause of left ventricular failure? Aortic stenosis. The left ventricle bulks up to generate the force needed to push blood through the tight valve. But at the same time, the bulky muscle doesn't contract as briskly as a normal healthy ventricle does. That means that the aortic valve is open longer than normal and doesn't snap shut as smartly. Good for you for picking that up. Lots of people aren't able to distinguish subtle differences in heart tones, or even hear quite obvious murmurs either. Bravo.

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