Why did the doctor listen HERE?

Ok I've never had a full cardiac exam done. My only valves my doctors have all listened to were my aortic and pulmonic. About 2 years ago I got the flu and went to the ER clinic to get some prescription cough medicine.

So anyways I'm sitting on the exam table when the doctor comes in; he checks my glands in my throat, checks my sinuses and then...decides to listen to my heart.

He listened to my aorta for about 30 seconds and then listened to my pulmonary for 30 seconds and out of nowhere he asks me to lift my bra a bit after i raise my shirt. He presses the stethoscope against my tricuspid. He was really listening too like concentrating.

He didn't listen anywhere else. Was he examining my tricuspid valve because my pulmonic is so loud and papable that he thought my heart wasn't pumping the blood out hard enough?

Surprised he didn't go ahead and take a good long listen at your mitral as well. I certainly would have. When you say he listened to your aorta, do you mean that he listened at your aortic valve (2nd intercostal space, right sternal border, or do you mean that he listened to your aorta in your abdomen? If I were stething you, I would listen to all 4 valves, Erb's point, abdominal aorta, and carotids.

Don't forget the renal arteries, just superior and lateral to the umbilicus.

He listened to my aortic valve area of my chest. His stethoscope was not on top of my aortic valve just in the general area. I wish he had listened to me more thoroughly though. If you've already checked 3 of my heart valves, why not just examine my entire heart?

That's what I would do. I would spend more time on each valve than he did on your entire heart. s2 (dup) is heard better on your upper chest, s1 is heard best down low under your breast. Both heart sounds are heard equally well at Erb's point.

I would have made sure to check all parts of the heart 😉

Sounds like a good experience if you ask me! Lucky doctor as well

I think they often skip spots if they're in a hurry and don't hear anything at the spots they're currently listening at. Usually if there's a murmur it will radiate to other spots. They're still supposed to listen all over.

Oh don't obsess about it. In the absence of pathology it's unnecessary to listen to all the areas. I do only if the history demands it.

I imagine it's easy to feel differently when auscultation isn't a kink for you.

For those of us whom it is though.... 😄

So many doctors only do a few valve areas and almost always in just one body position. My current doc does it all and I feel better knowing she does so

Usually if there's a murmur it will radiate to other spots.

I can't hear my murmur at any where but the tricuspid and mitral. Doctors rarely listen there. My GP doesn't so she can't hear the murmur.

I should have clarified: he listened to my aortic valve and pulmonic valve and tricuspid valve. Not the arteries themselves.