Exertional dyspnea is assessed in a 73-year-old man. His tolerance for exercise has deteriorated over the last year, and he can only walk 2-3 blocks without stopping. The patient also reports lightheadedness and palpitations on occasion. He has not experienced any chest pain or syncope. He was previously diagnosed with hypertension but does not take any medications. A cardiac murmur is discovered during a physical examination. For further evaluation, the patient is referred to a cardiologist. Cardiac catheterization is carried out, and the results are depicted in the image below. Which of the following points most likely corresponds to the peak murmur intensity in this patient?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: The aortic stenosis (AS) murmur is a crescendo-decrescendo systolic ejection murmur that begins after the first heart sound and typically ends before the A2 component of the second heart sound. The magnitude of the left ventricle to aorta pressure gradient during systole determines the intensity of the murmur.

Exertional Dyspnea Is Assessed in a 73-Year-Old Man