
What does a S3 heart sound like?
What does an s3 heart sound sound like? Third heart sounds are short, low frequency sound heard best with the stethoscope's bell. They occurs early in diastole and are dull in quality. They create a galloping rhythm with a cadence similar to the word 'Kentucky'.
Where is S3 heart sound best heard?
S3 is a dull, low-pitched sound best heard with the bell placed over the cardiac apex with the patient lying in the left lateral decubitus position. This heart sound when present in a child or young adult implies the presence of a supple ventricle that can undergo rapid filling.
What does S3 and S4 heart sound mean?
Therefore, any condition that creates a noncompliant LV will produce a S4, whereas any condition that creates an overly compliant LV will produce a S3 heart sound. A S4 heart sound can be an important sign of diastolic heart failure or active ischemia and is rarely a normal finding.
What is S3 heart sound caused by?
What causes an S3 heart sound? Third Heart Sound S3 Results from increased atrial pressure leading to increased flow rates, as seen in congestive heart failure, which is the most common cause of a S3. Associated dilated cardiomyopathy with dilated ventricles also contribute to the sound.

What does S3 heart sound suggest?
CLINICAL PEARL: A S3 heart sound is often a sign of systolic heart failure, however it may sometimes be a normal finding. A S3 can be an important sign of systolic heart failure because, in this setting, the myocardium is usually overly compliant, resulting in a dilated LV; this can be seen in the image below.
What do S3 and S4 sounds indicate?
An audible S4 is almost never physiologic and generally signifies a pathologic condition. The detection of an S3 heart sound after the age of 40 is considered abnormal1-4. An S3 is very predictive of elevated left ventricular filling pressure and indirectly, ventricular dysfunction.
What does the S3 sound represent AEMT?
Abnormal Heart Sounds S3 is a low pitched sound that is often called a gallop and occurs during the period that the ventricles are at rest (diastole). During the heartbeat cycle with an S3 heart tone, it would sound like “lub-dub-da”.
When would you hear an S3 sound?
When present, a third heart sound (S3) can be heard in early diastole, during the rapid filling phase of the ventricle after the opening of the atrioventricular valve. It is a dull, low-pitched sound, best heard in the tricuspid area.
Are S3 and S4 sounds murmurs?
A murmur is due to turbulence of blood flow and can, at times, encompass all of systole or diastole. The main normal heart sounds are the S1 and the S2 heart sound. The S3 can be normal, at times, but may be pathologic. A S4 heart sound is almost always pathologic.
What does S4 sound indicate?
The fourth heart sound, S4, also known as 'atrial gallop' results from the contraction of the atria pushing blood into a stiff or hypertrophic ventricle, indicating failure of the left ventricle. From: Biology of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, 2022.
When do you hear S3 and S4 sounds?
The Third and Fourth Heart Sounds Often is a benign finding in children, adolescents, and young adults. Rarely is heard after age 40 as a normal finding. Follows closely after S2, during the rapid filling wave in diastole.
What are S3 and S4 heart sounds called?
Third & Fourth Heart Sounds A triple rhythm in diastole is called a gallop and results from the presence of a S3, S4 or both. Description: Both sounds are low frequency and thus best heard with the bell of the stethoscope.
What does S1 S2 S3 and S4 heart sounds represent?
These two phases constitute the heartbeat. In a healthy adult, the heart makes two sounds, commonly described as 'lub' and 'dub. ' The third and fourth sounds may be heard in some healthy people, but can indicate impairment of the heart function. S1 and S2 are high-pitched and S3 and S4 are low-pitched sounds.
What is the S3 sound?
Specialty. Cardiology. The third heart sound or S3 is a rare extra heart sound that occurs soon after the normal two "lub-dub" heart sounds (S 1 and S 2 ). S 3 is associated with heart failure .
What does S3 mean in a heart?
S3 can also be due to tricuspid regurgitation, and could indicate hypertensive heart disease .
Why does the third heart sound not occur until the middle third of diastole?
The reason the third heart sound does not occur until the middle third of diastole is probably that, during the early part of diastole, the ventricles are not filled sufficiently to create enough tension for reverberation.
What is the third heart sound?
Diagram of the heart. The third heart sound or S3 is a rare extra heart sound that occurs soon after the normal two "lub-dub" heart sounds (S 1 and S 2 ). S 3 is associated with heart failure .
When does the syllable "CKY" occur?
It occurs at the beginning of the middle third of diastole, approximately 0.12 to 0.18 seconds after S 2. This produces a rhythm classically compared to the cadence of the word " Kentucky " with the final syllable (" -CKY ") representing S 3. One may also use the phrase "Slosh’-ing- IN " to help with the cadence (Slosh S 1, -ing S 2, -in S 3 ), as well as the pathology of the S 3 sound, or any other number of local variants.
What is the S3 heart sound?
The third heart sound is low in frequency and intensity. An S3 is commonly heard in children and young adults. In older adults and the elderly with heart disease, an S3 often means heart failure. The fourth heart sound occurs during the second phase of ventricular filling: when the atriums contract just before S1.
What causes S3 and S4?
Far as heart sounds go - what exactly causes S3 and S4? Most of the sources that I have read at this point all seem to agree that S3 is due to ventricular "resistance" of blood flow and S4 is due to ventricular hypertrophy or stiffness.
What causes S1 to be louder?
Structural changes in the heart valves can also affect S1. Fibrosis and calcification of the mitral valve may reduce S1, while stenosis of the mitral valve may cause a louder S1. The second heart sound marks the beginning of diastole - the heart's relaxation phase - when the ventricles fill with blood.
What is the sound of the heart during diastole?
During diastole there are 2 sounds of ventricular filling: The first is from the atrial walls and the second is from the contraction of the atriums. The third heart sound is caused by vibration of the ventricular walls, resulting from the first rapid filling so it is heard just after S2.
Why does my heart make a 4th sound?
As with S3, the fourth heart sound is thought to be caused by the vibration of valves, supporting structures, and the ventricular walls. An abnormal S4 is heard in people with conditions that increase resistance to ventricular filling, such as a weak left ventricle. 0 Likes.
Why is the tricuspid valve louder?
The sound of the tricuspid valve closing may be louder in patients with pulmonary hypertension due to increased pressure beyond the valve. Non-heart-related factors such as obesity, muscularity, emphysema, and fluid around the heart can reduce both S1 and S2.
What is the difference between s3 and s4?
s3 size] [/b] (ventricular gallop) - &] caused by blood from the left atrium slamming into an already overfilled ventricle during early diastolic filling. s4 (at rial gallop) - created by blood trying to enter a stiff, non-compliant left ventricle and slamming against it during atrial contraction late in diastole.

Overview
Physiology
It occurs at the beginning of the middle third of diastole, approximately 0.12 to 0.18 seconds after S2. This produces a rhythm classically compared to the cadence of the word "Kentucky" with the final syllable ("-CKY ") representing S3. One may also use the phrase "Slosh’-ing-IN" to help with the cadence (Slosh S1, -ing S2, -in S3), as well as the pathology of the S3 sound, or any other number of local variants.
Causes
S3 is thought to be caused by the oscillation of blood back and forth between the walls of the ventricles initiated by the inflow of blood from the atria. The reason the third heart sound does not occur until the middle third of diastole is probably that, during the early part of diastole, the ventricles are not filled sufficiently to create enough tension for reverberation. It may also be a result of tensing of the chordae tendineae during rapid filling and expansion of the ventricle.
Associations
It is associated with heart failure, caused by conditions which have:
• Mitral regurgitation - this is when one of the mitral valve leaflets that usually stop blood flowing from the left ventricle to the left atrium fails, allowing blood into the atria during systole. This means that the left atrium will be overfilled, leading to rapid ventricular filling when the mitral valve opens.
Treatment
The condition itself does not need to be treated, but rather the underlying cause requires correction. Depending on the etiology the gallop rhythm may resolve spontaneously.
See also
• Alexander George Gibson
• Arthur D. Hirschfelder
External links
• KUO PT, SCHNABEL TG, BLAKEMORE WS, WHEREAT AF (1957). "Diastolic Gallop Sounds, the Mechanism of Production". J. Clin. Invest. 36 (7): 1035–42. doi:10.1172/JCI103499. PMC 1072690. PMID 13449156.