Final answer:
The correct answer is a bruit, which is a soft, blowing sound heard on auscultation associated with turbulent blood flow, often due to arterial narrowing or valvular issues. It is distinct from a heart murmur, which is specific to the heart valves, and from normal heart sounds like the 'lub-dub' of valve closure.
Step-by-step explanation:
The soft, blowing sound heard on auscultation associated with the movement of blood or valvular action is called a bruit. This sound is indicative of turbulent blood flow, possible due to a narrowing of an artery or a heart valve problem. Heart murmurs are also related to turbulent blood flow but are specifically due to issues with the heart valves. Murmurs are graded on a scale of 1 to 6, with 1 being barely audible and 6 being very audible without a stethoscope. A heart murmur is not the same as a bruit. The term bruit is generally used to describe sounds from arterial blood flow, while murmur is reserved for sounds related to the cardiac cycle. Specialized electronic stethoscopes, like phonocardiograms or auscultograms, can record these abnormal sounds.
In a normal heart, the primary sounds heard on auscultation are described as "lub-dub," corresponding to the closing of atrioventricular and semilunar valves, respectively. Additional heart sounds, like S3 and S4, may indicate specific cardiac conditions but are distinct from a bruit.