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Heart & Circulation Signs

Signs of the heart and circulation: pulse characters, murmurs, neck-vein findings and the classic spots and nodes of infective endocarditis. Many of the most storied eponyms in medicine — the cluster of tiny signs of aortic regurgitation among them — live in this list.

This page lists all 30 of them in the guide. Open any sign for how it is elicited, what it suggests, and its eponym story where it has one.

SignSystemA positive finding is associated with
Austin Flint murmurHeart & CirculationAssociated with significant aortic regurgitation vibrating the mitral valve leaflet.
Beck's triadHeart & CirculationAssociated with cardiac tamponade — fluid compressing the heart inside its sac.
Broadbent's signHeart & CirculationAssociated with constrictive pericarditis, where the heart is tethered by a thickened pericardium.
Corrigan's pulseHeart & CirculationAssociated with aortic regurgitation and other wide pulse pressure states.
De Musset's signHeart & CirculationAssociated with significant aortic regurgitation.
Displaced apex beatHeart & CirculationLateral displacement is associated with enlargement of the left ventricle; a heaving quality is associated with pressure overload.
Duroziez's signHeart & CirculationAssociated with significant aortic regurgitation.
Ewart's signHeart & CirculationAssociated with a large collection of fluid around the heart compressing the base of the left lung.
Frank's signHeart & CirculationAssociated in population studies with a higher likelihood of coronary artery disease, though it is common and non-specific, especially with age.
Friedreich's signHeart & CirculationAssociated with constrictive pericarditis and other states where the heart's filling is abruptly limited.
Gallavardin phenomenonHeart & CirculationAssociated with aortic stenosis, especially calcific disease in older adults; the apex component can be mistaken for mitral regurgitation.
Graham Steell murmurHeart & CirculationAssociated with pulmonary hypertension, traditionally from mitral stenosis.
Hill's signHeart & CirculationAssociated with significant aortic regurgitation; the larger the difference, the more severe the leak tends to be.
Janeway lesionsHeart & CirculationAssociated with infective endocarditis; unlike Osler's nodes, they are painless and are thought to be septic micro-emboli.
Kussmaul's signHeart & CirculationAssociated with conditions that restrict filling of the right side of the heart, such as constrictive pericarditis and severe right heart failure.
Landolfi's signHeart & CirculationAssociated with severe aortic regurgitation.
Levine's signHeart & CirculationAssociated with ischaemic cardiac chest pain, such as angina or a heart attack.
Mayne's signHeart & CirculationAssociated with aortic regurgitation.
Müller's signHeart & CirculationAssociated with aortic regurgitation.
Osler's nodesHeart & CirculationAssociated with infective endocarditis; unlike Janeway lesions, they are tender and are thought to be immune-complex mediated.
Pericardial friction rubHeart & CirculationAssociated with pericarditis — inflammation of the sac around the heart.
Pulsus alternansHeart & CirculationAssociated with severe left ventricular systolic failure.
Pulsus bisferiensHeart & CirculationAssociated with aortic valve regurgitation, especially combined with stenosis, and with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
Pulsus paradoxusHeart & CirculationAssociated with cardiac tamponade, and also with severe asthma attacks.
Quincke's signHeart & CirculationAssociated with aortic regurgitation and other wide pulse pressure states.
Rivero-Carvallo signHeart & CirculationAssociated with tricuspid valve regurgitation; the change with breathing helps separate it from mitral regurgitation.
Roth's spotsHeart & CirculationClassically associated with infective endocarditis, though they also occur with leukaemia, diabetes and other conditions.
Slow-rising pulseHeart & CirculationAssociated with significant aortic valve stenosis.
Third heart sound (S3 gallop)Heart & CirculationAssociated with heart failure in adults; it can be a normal finding in young people and in pregnancy.
Traube's signHeart & CirculationAssociated with aortic regurgitation.
Please note: This page is an educational reference about clinical examination signs. A clinical sign supports — and never replaces — a full clinical evaluation, examination and appropriate testing. A sign being present does not by itself prove a diagnosis, and an absent sign does not rule one out. If you have symptoms that worry you, see a health professional.