Yesterday, we got to vist the “harvey lab” in Cardiopulm. Harvey is a mannequin that can simulate all sorts of heart sounds & conditions with the touch of a button, he even has palpable pulses! So, aside from that being pretty darn awesome…I was reminded of another reason (aside from all the obvious ones) that I love grad school so much. I’M SURROUNDED BY NERDS…just like me 🙂
Our professor, Dr. Costello, gave us a way to remember which heart valves are closing during which heart sound. So, quick abbreviated cardio lession for my non-PT friends out there: (If you are super interested click here to check out this video and really get your nerd on or ask me cause I love talking about it!)
The “normal heart” has 2 sounds: “LUB” (S1) and “DUB” (S2)
- We “LUB” when our ventricles contract — this is called systole
- We “DUB” when our ventricles are filling — this is called diastole
The actual sounds are made when the valves between the chambers of the heart close. And how does our lovely professor help us remember? She relates it to Star Wars of course!! YAY.