Watson's water hammer pulse is the medical sign which describes a pulse that is bounding and forceful, or, in other words, rapidly increasing and subsequently collapsing, as if it were the hitting of a water hammer that was causing the pulse.
This is associated with increased stroke volume of the left ventricle and decrease in the peripheral resistance leading to the widened pulse pressure of aortic regurgitation.
Read more about Watson's Water Hammer Pulse: Eponym, Observation, Causes
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—Anne Sexton (19281974)