Heart Muscle Inflammation (Myocarditis): Examination

A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:

• General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body temperature, body weight, body height; further:
  • Inspection (viewing) due topossible:
    • Skin [pallor]
    • Neck vein congestion?
    • Edema (praetibial edema?/water retention in the area of the lower leg/before the tibia, ankle; in supine patients: presacral/before the sacrum).
    • Central cyanosis? [bluish discoloration of skin and central mucous membranes, e.g., tongue]
  • Auscultation (listening) of the heart [cardiac arrhythmias/palpitations]
  • Auscultation of the lungs [rales (RGs)?
  • Abdominal (stomach) examination [hepatomegaly? (liver enlargement)/congested liver); splenomegaly? (splenomegaly)/secondary to portal hypertension/pulmonary hypertension]
    • Percussion (palpation) of the abdomen.
      • Meteorism (flatulence): hypersonoric tapping sound.
      • Attenuation of tapping sound due to enlarged liver or spleen, tumor, urinary retention?
      • Hepatomegaly (liver enlargement) and/or splenomegaly (spleen enlargement): estimate liver and spleen size.
    • Palpation (palpation) of the abdomen (abdomen) (tenderness?, knocking pain?, coughing pain?, defensive tension?, hernial orifices?, kidney bearing knocking pain?).

Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.