auscultation

Examples of auscultation in the following topics:

• Heart Murmurs

  • Most murmurs can only be heard with the assistance of a stethoscope ("on auscultation") .
  • Location refers to where the heart murmur is usually auscultated best.
  • Pitch may be low, medium, or high and is determined by whether it can be auscultated best with the bell or diaphragm of a stethoscope.
  • The location of best auscultation (stethoscope placement) to hear each heart valve are labeled with "M", "T", "A", and "P".

• Pulse

  • In this case, the heart rate is determined by auscultation or audible sounds at the heart apex, not the pulse.
  • The pulse deficit (difference between heartbeats and pulsations at the periphery) is determined by simultaneous palpation at the radial artery and auscultation at the heart apex.

• Pericarditis

  • The classic hallmark of pericarditis is a friction rub auscultated on the cardiovascular examination usually on the lower left sternal border.
  • This can be seen in patients who are experiencing the classic signs of pericarditis but then show signs of relief, and progress to show signs of cardiac tamponade which include decreased alertness and lethargy, pulsus paradoxus (decrease of at least 10 mmHg of the systolic blood pressure upon inspiration), hypotension (due to decreased cardiac index), JVD (jugular vein distention from right sided heart failure and fluid overload), distant heart sounds on auscultation, and equilibration of all the diastolic blood pressures on cardiac catheterization due to the constriction of the pericardium by the fluid.

• Pulmonary Edema

  • Other signs include end-inspiratory crackles (sounds heard at the end of a deep breath) on auscultation and the presence of a third heart sound.

• Asbestos-Related Diseases

  • On auscultation of the lungs, the physician may hear inspiratory rales.

• Pneumonia

  • Harsh breath sounds from the larger airways that are transmitted through the inflamed lung are termed bronchial breathing, and are heard on auscultation with a stethoscope.

• Congenital Heart Defects

  • These can sometimes be detected by auscultation ; however, not all heart murmurs are caused by congenital heart defects.