THE diagnosis of paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia may be more quickly made at the bedside by the hearing of multiple sounds. These are usually of low frequency and are best heard if one listens specifically for them at the apex. Figure 1 shows the phonocardiogram of a patient taken during episodes of ventricular tachycardia, at which time these extra sounds were easily detected at the bedside. Immediately after reversion they were not present.The auscultatory features of ventricular tachycardia,1,2 well emphasized in the past, are as follows: a change in intensity of the first heart sound; slightly irregular ventricular rate; and failure of . . .