Corrigan’s Pulse

A large, bounding carotid pulse seen in aortic regurgitation, high-output physiology (sepsis, liver disease, wet beriberi, etc.), and coarctation of aorta.

Patient 1:

This is an older man with an aortic root aneurysm complicated by moderate to severe aortic regurgitation.

This patient also has a classic murmur, bounding peripheral pulse, bisferiens pulse, and de Musset’s sign.

Patient 2:

This is a middle-aged woman with a history of thoracic aortic aneurysm complicated by a type A dissection status-post valve-sparing aortic root replacement, who has subsequently developed moderate to severe aortic regurgitation.

This patient also has a decrescendo diastolic murmur over Erb’s point and Quincke’s pulse.

Patient 3:

This is a middle-age man who was admitted to the hospital with cardiogenic shock of unclear etiology. He was discovered to have Corrigan’s pulse on exam, which led to the discovery of Quincke’s pulse, radial-femoral pulse delay, and discrepant blood pressures between the upper and lower extremities. He was subsequently diagnosed with coarctation of the aorta.

This patient also has Quincke’s pulse, vigorous peripheral pulses in the upper extremities, radial-femoral pulse delay, and a systolic murmur

Patient 4:

This is a young woman who presented with chest pain and dyspnea. She had discordant peripheral pulses and blood pressure readings between the upper and lower extremities, and was ultimately found to have severe coarctation of the aorta.

Patient 5:

This is a middle-aged man with severe aortic regurgitation. He has a wide pulse pressure along with Corrigan’s pulse. 

Patient 6:

This is an older man with severe aortic regurgitation who was admitted to the hospital for an unrelated reason.

Patient 7:

Young man with cystic fibrosis complicated by cirrhosis, who developed extravascular and intravascular volume overload, and was found to have Corrigan’s pulse and elevated JVP. Note that both the arterial pulse and venous pulse can be seen in this video. The arterial pulse is bounding. The venous pulse is elevated (patient is in the upright position). 

Patient 8:

37-year-old woman with a diagnosis of Laennec’s cirrhosis (EtOH-related) was admitted and found to have elevated jugular venous pressure with dynamic venous pulsations and Corrigan’s pulse, suspicious for high-output heart failure. She also has an S4 gallop.