thrill [AS, thyrlian, to pierce] , a fine vibration, felt by an examiner’s hand on a patient’s body over the site of an aneurysm or on the precordium, resulting from turmoil in the flow of blood and indicating the presence of an organic murmur of grade 4 or greater intensity. A thrill can also be felt over the carotids if a bruit is present and over an arteriovenous fistula in the patient undergoing hemodialysis. Compare bruit, murmur.
