Consultation and clinical assessment of the heart and cardiovascular system

Abstract

This article aims to increase knowledge of cardiac assessment. Anatomy and physiology of the heart are briefly reviewed and reference is made to pathology that can cause cardiac dysfunction. The main features to look for when taking a cardiac history are discussed, with suggestions for questions to elicit this information, and the signs to look for when undertaking a cardiac examination. There is also an introduction to the main investigations to aid differential diagnosis and clinical reasoning. A follow-up article will look in more detail at some common cardiac conditions presenting to emergency care, with an emphasis on critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning. These articles are written from an emergency care perspective, and therefore do not focus in great detail on invasive investigation of cardiology conditions, but more so on picking up these possibilities in undifferentiated patients presenting to emergency care.