A physician has a patient with an abnormal heart sound. After running some tests, the doctor decides that the patient has a heart murmur, but the condition is not severe enough to warrant open-heart surgery. Which of the following would lead the doctor to make this determination?
A) The amount of blood flowing backward in the heart is not enough to strain the heart as it works harder to catch up.
B) The heart sounds are due to air moving through the system and cannot be removed via surgical techniques.
C) The amount of blood lost is easily replaced with a transfusion of extra blood.
D) A heart murmur is actually caused by a harmless lung irregularity.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A heart murmur is an abnormal sound heard during a heartbeat, and it can be caused by a variety of factors. In this case, the doctor has determined that the heart murmur is not severe enough to warrant open-heart surgery. A possible reason for this determination is that the amount of blood flowing backward in the heart is not enough to strain the heart as it works harder to catch up. This indicates that the heart is still able to function effectively despite the heart murmur.

A Physician Has a Patient with an Abnormal Heart Sound