Final answer:
A nurse examining a child with ventricular septal defect should expect to hear a harsh holosystolic murmur along the left sternal border, which is produced by turbulent blood flow through the defect during ventricular systole.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nurse conducting a physical examination of a child with ventricular septal defect would expect to find a harsh holosystolic murmur along the left sternal border. This type of murmur is caused by the turbulent flow of blood through the septal defect from the left to the right ventricle during the entire period of ventricular systole. Other findings such as a right ventricular heave may also be present if there is a significant shunt and right ventricular overload. A fixed split second heart sound would typically be associated with an atrial septal defect rather than ventricular septal defect. A systolic ejection murmur is more characteristic of valvular or outflow tract obstructions.
In auscultation, heart sounds are used to identify various cardiac conditions. In a normal heart, two audible heart sounds are heard: S1 and S2. In the case of a ventricular septal defect, the disruption of normal blood flow across the interventricular septum creates a distinctive sound. The murmur heard in ventricular septal defects is due to the blood rushing from the high-pressure left ventricle to the lower-pressure right ventricle during systole, producing the characteristic harsh, loud, holosystolic murmur.