A gallop rhythm refers to a (usually abnormal) rhythm of the heart on auscultation. It includes three or four sounds, thus resembling the sounds of a gallop.
The normal heart rhythm contains two audible heart sounds called S1 and S2 that give the well-known "lub-dub" rhythm; they are caused by the closing of valves in the heart.
A gallop rhythm contains another sound, called S3 or S4, dependent upon where in the cycle this added sound comes.
It can also contain both of these sounds forming a quadruple gallop, and in situations of very fast heart rate can produce a summation gallop where S3 and S4 occur so close as to be indistinguishable.
Read more about Gallop Rhythm: Associated Conditions
Famous quotes containing the words gallop and/or rhythm:
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—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)
“I remember the stink of the liverwurst.
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The rhythm of the refrigerator
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—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)