Question

Murmur of HCM vs Aortic stenosis

a) Systolic ejection murmur
b) Diastolic rumble
c) Continuous murmur
d) Late systolic murmur

Answer 1

Heart murmurs in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and aortic stenosis are both characterized as systolic ejection murmurs, caused by turbulent blood flow due to obstruction at the left ventricular outflow tract in HCM and narrowed aortic valve in aortic stenosis.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question pertains to the differentiation of heart murmurs associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) versus aortic stenosis. A heart murmur is an unusual heart sound, caused by turbulent blood flow, that can be auscultated with a stethoscope. In the context of this question, HCM is typically associated with a loud, harsh, systolic ejection murmur due to the obstruction of outflow at the left ventricular outflow tract. By contrast, aortic stenosis also produces a systolic ejection murmur, but it is because of the restricted flow across a narrowed aortic valve. Therefore, both HCM and aortic stenosis are characteristically associated with a systolic ejection murmur (option a).