Congenital Abnormalities

Coarctation of the Aorta

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This is an example of coarctation of the aorta, a congenital abnormality.

This first heart sound is normal. The second heart sound is intensified.

There is diamond shaped murmur occupying most of systole and a high-pitched decrescendo murmur in the first half of diastole.

In the anatomy tab you can see a constriction in the descending aorta which is responsible for the systolic murmur.

There is regurgitant flow from the aorta into the left ventricle which causes the diastolic murmur.

The left ventricle wall thickness is increased due to aortic pressure elevation caused by the aortic coarctation.

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The recommended auscultation position for the stethoscope is the Aortic position. For this sound, use stethoscope's Diaphragm.

maneuver

The recommended patient position is Sitting leaning forward

Phonocardiogram

This waveform plots sound amplitude on the vertical axis against time on the horizontal axis.

Heart Animation

Lessons

Coarctation of the Aorta
Patent Ductus Arteriosus
Atrial Septal Defect
Ventricular Septal Defect
Tetralogy of Fallot
Ebstein's Anomaly

Practice Drill

Listening Tips
A synopsis of important sound features and timing for this abnormality.
Systole: Diamond-shaped murmur, possible early systolic ejection sounds.
S2: Increased intensity.
Diastole: High pitched, decrescendo, early murmur.

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