A

• Aortic Valve Sounds – Heart sounds generated by the aortic valve closure, mainly part of the second heart sound (S2).

• Auscultation – The act of listening to internal body sounds, especially heart and lung sounds, using a stethoscope.

B

• Best Heard At – Specific chest areas where heart sounds or murmurs are best auscultated (e.g., aortic area, mitral area).

• Bruit – A murmur heard over a blood vessel, not a heart valve, indicating turbulent blood flow (usually arterial).

C

• Click – A sharp, high-pitched sound heard during systole or diastole, often from mitral valve prolapse or prosthetic valves.

• Chest Wall Thrill – A palpable vibration on the chest wall due to turbulent blood flow associated with murmurs.

D

• Diastole – The phase of the cardiac cycle when the heart muscle relaxes and the chambers fill with blood.

• Diastolic Murmur – Murmur heard during diastole, commonly caused by aortic or pulmonary regurgitation, mitral or tricuspid stenosis.

E

• Ejection Click – A sharp sound heard shortly after the first heart sound, often due to valve abnormalities like pulmonary or aortic stenosis.

F

• Fourth Heart Sound (S4) – A low-frequency sound occurring late in diastole, just before S1, associated with atrial contraction against a stiff ventricle (e.g., LV hypertrophy).

G

• Gallop Rhythm – Presence of additional heart sounds (S3 or S4) producing a rhythm resembling a galloping horse.

H

• Heart Sounds – Audible sounds generated by closure of heart valves and blood flow through the heart during the cardiac cycle.

I

• Innate Heart Sounds – The normal heart sounds: S1 and S2.

L

• Left Sternal Border – Auscultation site where tricuspid and pulmonary valve sounds are best heard.

M

• Murmur – An abnormal heart sound produced by turbulent blood flow, graded from I (barely audible) to VI (heard without a stethoscope).

• Mid-systolic Murmur – Murmur occurring between S1 and S2, often due to aortic or pulmonary stenosis.

P

• Pericardial Friction Rub – A scratchy, grating sound caused by inflammation of the pericardium.

• Physiological Split of S2 – Normal delay in closure of pulmonary valve during inspiration, causing split second heart sound.

R

• Regurgitant Murmur – Murmur caused by backward flow of blood through an incompetent valve (e.g., mitral or aortic regurgitation).

S

• Second Heart Sound (S2) – Produced by closure of the aortic and pulmonary valves; loudest at the base of the heart.

• S1 (First Heart Sound) – Produced by closure of the mitral and tricuspid valves; loudest at the apex.

• S3 (Third Heart Sound) – A low-pitched sound occurring just after S2 during early diastole, associated with increased ventricular filling pressures.

• Systole – The phase of the cardiac cycle when the ventricles contract and eject blood.

• Systolic Murmur – Murmur heard between S1 and S2, often due to valve stenosis or regurgitation.

T

• Timing – Refers to when in the cardiac cycle a heart sound or murmur occurs (e.g., systolic, diastolic).

• Tricuspid Valve Sounds – Heart sounds related to closure of the tricuspid valve, best heard at the lower left sternal border.

V

• Valve Closure Sounds – The “lub-dub” sounds representing valve closures (S1 and S2).

• Valve Stenosis – Narrowing of a valve causing turbulent blood flow and characteristic murmurs.