Percussion in Cardiovascular Examination of a Tombstone

Abstract

The growing abundance of technology in the medical field has led to doctors' sensory de-skilling. Technology is seen replacing the clinical diagnosis based on sensory perception. Percussion as a skill has been lost from clinical practice. Though percussion disappeared from wards, it is still taught in medical colleges. Percussion is a very vital component in the bedside examination of the patient. Auenbrugger first thought of tapping the chest of patients to determine the cardiac size, borders, and presence of pericardial fluid, its extent, and related pathologies. Percussion used to be a critical component of clinical heart disease evaluation. There was rapid advancement of technology in the last century. With the introduction of technology in the medical field, diagnosing and treating disorders and diseases have significantly improved. Percussion can be a valuable bedside aid in determining the cardiac size, borders and to find the presence and extent of pericardial fluid. Cardiac percussion is not just tapping the chest and hearing the sound produced, it is also feeling the touch and observing the vibrations produced noting the tone, thus percussion takes a considerable amount of time, practice and a mindset to master as a clinical skill. Thus teaching the correct way to percuss right from the initial years in the medical school is extremely necessary. With proper knowledge and experience cardiac percussion can prove to be a beneficial tool in specific cardiac pathologies.