NURS 2715 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Pulmonary Valve, Heart Valve, Peripheral Vascular System
Document Summary
The cardiovascular system consists of the heart and the central blood vessels (primarily the pulmonary, coronary, and neck arteries and veins. The peripheral vascular system includes those arteries and veins distal to the central vessels, extending all the way to the bran and to the extremities. The heart is assessed through inspection, palpation, and auscultation, in that sequence. In the average adult, most of the heart lies behind and left of the sternum. A small portion (the right atrium) extends to the right of the sternum. The upper portion of the heart (both atria), referred to as its base, lies posteriorly. The lower portion (the ventricles), referred to as its apex, points anteriorly. The point where the apex touches the anterior chest wall (near fifth left intercostal space) is known as the point of maximal impulse (pmi). The point of maximal impulse refers to the point at which the apical impulse is most readily seen or felt.
