This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Clinical examination of heart murmurs

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

When listening to a patient's heart always consider the physical signs already elicited before auscultation commences.

Some hints concerning listening for murmurs:

  • time the cardiac cycle by palpating one of the patient's carotid arteries
  • the bell is good for hearing low-pitched sounds e.g. mitral stenosis. It should be applied very gently to the skin
  • the diaphragm is good for listening to high-pitched murmurs e.g. aortic regurgitation
  • left heart murmurs are louder in expiration
  • right heart murmurs are louder in inspiration
  • exercise makes a mitral stenotic murmur louder

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.