The Tricardiograph: A Rapid Screening Method for Cardiac Disease

To take slit kymograms of the left hemithorax on 6½ by 8½ inch film, a carrier was designed which can be fitted to the arms of a fluoroscope, replacing the screen. On the lateral and cephalad corner, six seconds of galvanometer trace are recorded, the slit kymograph being exposed during the interval from 3.0 to 4.5 seconds. With two galvanometers, the electrocardiogram and ballistocardiogram can be inscribed, thus timing the motions of the heart border, and permitting correlation of ballistic phenomena with ventricular ejection. This device also has promise as a screening method for detecting cardiac disease.