Comparing fist size to heart size is not a viable technique to assess cardiomegaly
Several medical textbooks state that a human heart is approximately the size of that person's fist. Stating that a heart has the size of the corpse's fist is thought to signify that the heart size is normal. We formulate two hypotheses that are tested in this article. First, we hypothesize that in cases without cardiomegaly, volumes of the hand and the heart are not significantly different. Second, we hypothesize that in cases of cardiomegaly, the heart volume statistically significantly exceeds that of the hand.
Source: Cardiovascular Pathology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Garyfalia Ampanozi, Eileen Krinke, Patrick Laberke, Wolf Schweitzer, Michael J. Thali, Lars C. Ebert Tags: Original article Source Type: research