title: The third heart sound is the result of a shock wave caused by the ventricular inflow velocity exceeding the wave velocity.
abstract: The genesis of the third heart sound (S3) has been debated for over a century. An hypothesis is presented which proposes that S3 is the result of a shock wave which is generated when the ventricular inflow velocity exceeds the local wave velocity. Echocardiographic data that support the hypothesis are presented from patients with and without an S3.
authors.affiliation: Kent and Canterbury Hospital, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Owen
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D004452:Echocardiography; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006347:Heart Sounds / Q000502:physiology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006801:Humans; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left