S3 heart sound: Definition, treatment, and more

The S3 heart sound is a low-pitched sound that doctors can hear when blood rushes rapidly from the heart's atrium into the ventricle. Sometimes, ... HealthConditionsHealthConditionsAlzheimer's&DementiaAnxietyArthritisAsthma&AllergiesBreastCancerCancerCardiovascularHealthCOVID-19Dermatology&SkincareDiabetesEnvironment&SustainabilityExercise&FitnessEyeHealthHeadache&MigraineHealthEquityHIV&AIDSHumanBiologyInflammatoryBowelDiseaseLeukemiaLGBTQIA+Men'sHealthMentalHealthMultipleSclerosis(MS)NutritionParkinson'sDiseasePsoriasisSexualHealthWomen'sHealthDiscoverNewsLatestNewsOriginalSeriesMedicalMythsHonestNutritionThroughMyEyesNewNormalHealthPodcastsWhatisbehindvaccinehesitancy?TheamazingstoryofhepatitisC,fromdiscoverytocureNewdirectionsindementiaresearchCanpsychedelicsrewireadepressed,anxiousbrain?WhyclimatechangemattersforhumanhealthWhatdoesthelatestresearchsayaboutmultiplesclerosis?ToolsGeneralHealthDrugsA-ZHealthHubsHealthToolsBMICalculatorsandChartsBloodPressureChart:RangesandGuideBreastCancer:Self-ExaminationGuideSleepCalculatorHealthProductsAffordableTherapyOptionsBloodPressureMonitorsDiabeticSuppliesFitnessTrackersHomeGymsGreenCleaningProductsHowtoShopforCBDQuizzesRAMythsvsFactsType2Diabetes:ManagingBloodSugarAnkylosingSpondylitisPain:FactorFictionConnectAboutMedicalNewsTodayWhoWeAreOurEditorialProcessContentIntegrityConsciousLanguageNewslettersSignUpFollowUsMedicalNewsTodayHealthConditionsDiscoverToolsConnectSubscribeWhattoknowaboutS3heartsoundsMedicallyreviewedbyDarraghO'Carroll,MD—ByZiaSherrell,MPHonAugust30,2022Whatisit?Whatdoesitsoundlike?LinktocongestiveheartfailureCausesVs.S4heartsoundsTreatmentSummaryAnS3heartsoundcanindicateheartfailureinsomepeople.However,doctorsmayalsohearitinhealthyindividuals.Doctorstypicallylistentoheartsoundsbyplacingastethoscopeonthechestwall.Ahealthyhearttypicallymakestwosounds:astheheartvalvesopenandclose,andasbloodrushesthroughtheheart.Thevalvesareresponsibleforcontrollingbloodflowthroughtheheart.Thevibrationofthestructuresintheheartcreatesthesounds—themoreturbulentthebloodflow,themorevibrationandsound.Ifbloodrapidlyrushesintoanoverfilledleftventricle,itcreatestheS3heartsound.ReadontolearnmoreabouttheS3heartsoundandwhatcancauseit.WhatisanS3heartsound?ShareonPinterestSeanLocke/StocksyHeartsoundsoccurasbloodflowsthroughtheheartchambersandasitsvalvesopenandcloseduringaheartbeat.Typically,aheartmakestwosoundsthatpeopledescribeas“lub-dub.”DoctorsrefertotheseasS1andS2sounds.Sometimes,theheartalsomakesthirdandfourthsounds,orS3andS4.TheS3heartsoundoccursasthemitralvalve—whichsitsbetweentheleftatriumandleftventricle—opensandallowsbloodtofilltheleftventriclepassively.Thesoundhappensduetobloodstrikingtheleftventricleduringearlydiastole.Earlydiastolereferstowhentheventriclestartstoexpandandthepressurewithinitislow.Doctorscanmosteasilyhearthesoundatthecardiacapex.Thisisthepointedtipoftheheartthatliestotheleftofthesternum,betweenthefourthandfifthribs.Whatdoesitindicate?SomehealthypeoplehaveS3heartsounds.Doctorsmayfinditinchildren,pregnantpeople,andwell-trainedathletes.However,itmayalsoindicateheartproblemssuchassystolicheartfailure.Thethirdheartsoundisaninitialclueofheartfailurethatdoctorsassociatewithsevereheartproblemsanddeath.Insomecases,S3heartsoundsmayindicateadiastolicmurmur.Thisisanunusualfindingthatmaysuggestvalveissueswithintheorgan.Thesevalveissuesincludeseveretricuspidormitralvalveregurgitation.Regurgitationmeansthattheheartvalvebecomesleaky.Learnmoreaboutcommonheartvalvedisordershere.Whatdoesitsoundlike?TheS3orthirdheartsoundisalow-frequency,shortvibrationsound.IthappensaftertheS2sound.Typically,theS2isahigh-pitchedsound,whichishowdoctorscandistinguishthelow,dullS3sound.DoctorsmayalsorefertotheS3soundasaventriculargallop.Thismaybebecausethethreeheartsounds—S1,S2,andS3—inquicksuccessioncreateacadence,orrhythm,likeagallopinghorse.Additionally,theheartsoundsfollowasimilargallopingrhythmtothecadenceoftheword“Kentucky.”Specifically,thelastsyllable,“cky,”representstheS3sound.However,doctorsmayfinditchallengingtodetectthesoundasitcanbesubtle.S3soundandcongestiveheartfailureTheS3soundcanoccurifanindividualhascongestiveheartfailure.Inthissituation,theheartcannotpumpenoughbloodaroundthebodytokeepithealthy.Asaresult,blooddoesnotmovethroughtheheartasitshould,whichmayleadtoanindividualhavingS3heartsounds.Variousconditionscanleadtocongestiveheartfailure,includinguncontrolledhighbloodpressure,asedentarylifestyle,highlevelsofbloodfat,smoking,anddiabetes.WhatcausesanS3heartsound?Peoplewithconditionsthatleadtoincreasedbloodvolumeintheleftatrium,increasedventricularfillingpressure,orboth,canexperienceS3heartsounds.DoctorsremainunsureoftheexactmechanismsforcreatingS3heartsounds.Traditionally,theyassumedthatbloodrushingintoanoverloadedventriclecausedthesound,forexample,duringanexacerbationofacuteheartfailure.However,morerecentresearchsuggeststhatthediameterofthemitralvalveannulus—thejunctionbetweentheventricleandleftatrium—isimportantinS3soundcreation.S3vs.S4soundsDoctorsmayrefertothefourthheartsound,orS4,asatrialgallop.Itoccursastheatriapushbloodintoastiffventricle.Therefore,thissoundindicatesthattheremaybeanissuewiththeleftventricle,asitisinflexible.BothS3andS4arelow-frequencysounds,butdoctorsmayhearS4oneithertheleftorrightsideoftheheart.DoctorsmayfindS4moredifficulttohearthanS3,particularlyinchildren.Duetotheinflexibleventricle,theatriamustcreatemoreforcetopushblooddownintoit,andthismaycreateaturbulentbloodflowintheheart.Somediseasesmaymaketheventricleinflexibleorlesscompliant.WhileanS3canoccurasatypicalheartsoundforcertainindividuals,anS4alwaysindicatesthatanindividualhasaheartcondition.TreatmentIftheS3heartsoundoccursinanotherwisehealthyindividual,doctorsmaynotneedtotreatthecondition.However,theyhavevarioustreatmentoptionsifapersonhascongestiveheartfailure.However,whiletheseoptionscannotundodamagetotheheart,theycanhelpeaseanindividual’ssymptomsandimprovequalityoflife.Atreatmentplanmayinclude:Lifestylechanges:Includemaintainingamoderateweight,eatingabalanceddiet,andincreasingphysicalactivity.Ifsomeonesmokes,theyshouldconsiderquitting.Medications:Theseincludeangiotensin-convertingenzymeinhibitorsandbeta-blockers.Surgery:Thesetechniquesincludeacoronaryarterybypass,ahearttransplant,andvalvereplacement.Devices:Thesedevicesincludeimplantablecardioverterdefibrillatorsandthoseforcardiacresynchronizationtherapy.SummaryTheS3heartsoundisalow-pitchedsoundthatdoctorscanhearwhenbloodrushesrapidlyfromtheheart’satriumintotheventricle.Sometimes,particularlyinchildrenandathletes,itisatypicalsound.However,inothercases,itmayalsoindicatethatanindividualhascongestiveheartfailure.Ifsomeonehascongestiveheartfailure,treatmentscanimprovetheirqualityoflife,althoughtheycannotundothedamagethathasalreadyoccurred.LastmedicallyreviewedonAugust30,2022HeartDiseaseCardiovascular/Cardiology6sourcescollapsedMedicalNewsTodayhasstrictsourcingguidelinesanddrawsonlyfrompeer-reviewedstudies,academicresearchinstitutions,andmedicaljournalsandassociations.Weavoidusingtertiaryreferences.Welinkprimarysources—includingstudies,scientificreferences,andstatistics—withineacharticleandalsolistthemintheresourcessectionatthebottomofourarticles.Youcanlearnmoreabouthowweensureourcontentisaccurateandcurrentbyreadingoureditorialpolicy.Dornbush,S.,etal.(2022).Physiology,heartsounds.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541010Fourthheartsound-anoverview.(2022).http://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/fourth-heart-soundMalik,A.,etal.(2022).Congestiveheartfailure.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430873Pechetty,R.etal.(2020).Additionheartsounds—part1(thirdandfourthheartsounds).https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/pdf/10.1055/s-0040-1713828.pdfShono,A.,etal.(2019).Ultimatethirdheartsound.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6761354Treatmentoptionsforheartfailure.(2017).http://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-failure/treatment-options-for-heart-failureFEEDBACK:MedicallyreviewedbyDarraghO'Carroll,MD—ByZiaSherrell,MPHonAugust30,2022LatestnewsLonelinessandunhappinessaccelerateagingfasterthansmoking,studyshowsLongevity:Newcluesonhowgender,age,othergeneticfactorsmayimpactlifespanDietshighinprocessedfibermayincreaseriskoflivercancerinsomepeoplePassion,exercise,andmeaningfulrelationshipsareaboontobrainhealthDiabetes:2commondrugsmoreeffectivethanothers,studyfindsRelatedCoverageTheheart:AllyouneedtoknowMedicallyreviewedbyDr.PayalKohli,M.D.,FACCHere,learnaboutthestructureoftheheart,whateachpartdoes,andhowitworkstosupportthebody.Wealsoexploretheelectricalimpulsesand…READMOREWhattoknowaboutheartimagingtestsDoctorsmayusevariousheartimagingteststoassessthestructureandfunctionoftheheartanditssurroundingstructures.Learnmorehere.READMOREWhatisGDMTforheartfailure?MedicationsandwhattoexpectMedicallyreviewedbyAlanCarter,PharmDGDMTstandsforguideline-directedmedicaltherapy.Ittreatsheartfailurewithreducedejectionfraction.Clickheretolearnmore.READMORE