Doctor’s Visit Decoded: Heart Sounds

Guiding Questions

In this blog we’re going to be investigating what the doctor does about your heart sounds during a check-up. A lot of people don’t know what doctors are looking for, and they have questions like:

• What is the doctor listening for when they check my heart?
• How do they check my heart?

 

All About Heart Sounds

Heart Sounds are the noises that can be heard coming from the heart. Everyone knows about the classic “Lub Dub” sound the heart makes, but did you know the heart sounds contain a lot of meaning for Doctors? Let’s explore the details about heart sounds.

• How Do Doctors Hear The Heart?: Doctors listen to the heart using a stethoscope. The stethoscope is placed at 4 different points of the chest to hear different components of heart sounds

• Normal Heart Sounds: A healthy heart sound has two components, S1 and S2. S1 is the “lub” sound in lub-dub, and S2 is the “dub” sound in lub-dub.

• The Importance Of Heart Sounds: Heart sounds can reveal rhythm issues, valve problems, murmurs, and heart failure

 

Common Issues

The reason doctors even listen to the heart is to find out if there are any problems inside it. The most common heart sound issues that doctors diagnose are murmurs, S3, and S4.

• Murmurs: Murmurs are whooshing sounds heard inside the heart. Though some are harmless, murmurs could indicate underlying abnormalities within the heart

• S3: This is an abnormal sound that is heard after S2. An S3 sound can indicate heart failure or blood flowing backwards

• S4: An abnormal sound heart right before S1. An S4 sound can mean that you have an enlarged heart, high blood pressure, or valve thickening

 

Review

• What instrument does a doctor use to hear your heart? A stethoscope
• What do doctors call the “dub” sound a heart makes? S2
• Are murmurs harmless? Only some are
• When can you hear an S4 sound? Right before S1

 

DISCLAIMER: THIS BLOG POST DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE

The blog post and everything contained on it is for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.