Clinical examination of the heart

Even with all the diagnostic aids nowadays available to the cardiologists, clinical diagnosis still remains a valuable means for choosing the optimum confirmatory test and in following clinical progress at the bedside. The importance of a systemic approach coupled with a knowledge of the psychological significance of the common physical signs is stressed as a way to establish an anatomical diagnosis as well as a way of making an initial psychological assessment.This contribution illustrates the wealth of information readily available to a clinician at the bedside using straightforward observation.