What is a phonocardiogram?
phonocardiogram is a recording of heart sounds that can be visually represented on a phonocardiographic chart. This may be useful for recording abnormal heart sounds for the future reference, including monitoring to see if the patient is responding to treatment. Such testing can also be valuable in detecting gentle and subaudible changes in heart sounds that testify to a health problem that could not otherwise be identified. Many hospitals have the ability to create a high loyalty recording of heart sounds, as well as special cardiac clinics. The medical provider may listen to the heart with a stethoscope, record and order further testing, such as an electrocardiogram for recording electrical pulses associated with cardiac activity. All this information may be useful in assessing a patient with a suspetem -defect with a heart problem, be it benign abnormality or a serious problem that requires medical treatment.
Looking at the visual representation of the sound information collected during the phonocardiogram, the doctor can look for abnormal spikes or decreases in sound that indicate unusual sounds. The heart sounds are associated with vibrations caused by the movement of heart valves and may include a variety of beach and turbulence as the blood moves. When an unusual finding appears, the care provider can intensify it to listen in more detail, slowed it down, repeated it, and otherwise manipulated the sound to gain a clearer understanding of what is happening.
In a patient who sounds normally on physical auscultation with a stethoscope, where the doctor listens to the heart manually, sometimes the phonocardiogram shows something else. Some heart problems appear at a sub -level level and will not be identified if the doctor does not use more advanced diagnostic tools. In patients with audible abnormalities, the recording helps the provider to isolate the sound to learnmore and is also useful for monitoring; For example, if the murmur sounds as if it deteriorates, the doctor may compare the recording from the previous session.
In general, the phonocardiogram is a non -invasive procedure that should not cause any pain or discomfort. It may be part of the heart processing that could include other procedures, some of which may be more invasive; In some imaging studies, for example, a trace is used to highlight blood, so you can see how it moves through the heart. Patients with concern about the medical assessment of the heart problem may ask about how long they should take and whether hospitalization will be required.