the palpable beat of the apex of the heart against the chest wall during ventricular contraction; normally palpated in the fifth left intercostal space in the midclavicular line
point of maximal impulse (PMI)
the double-layered sac containing the heart and the origins of the superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, and pulmonary artery
pericardium
the thin membrane lining the outside of the heart
epicardium
the thin membrane lining the inside of the heart
endocardium
the cardiac muscle
myocardium
the blood vessels of the heart that supply blood to its walls