What is "apex beat"

The apex beat (lat. ictus cordis), also called the apical impulse, is the pulse felt at the point of maximum impulse (PMI), which is the point on the precordium farthest outwards (laterally) and downwards (inferiorly) from the sternum at which the cardiac impulse can be felt. The cardiac impulse is the vibration resulting from the heart rotating, moving forward and striking against the chest wall during systole. The PMI is not the apex of the heart but is on the precordium not far from it.