Definition

Noun: A systolic murmur is an abnormal heart sound heard through a stethoscope during the systole phase of the cardiac cycle. Systole is when the heart muscle contracts to pump blood out of the ventricles. This murmur is typically a blowing, whooshing, or rasping noise caused by turbulent blood flow across a heart valve or near the heart.

Usage

The term is used in medical contexts to describe and diagnose a specific type of cardiac finding. - It is typically modified by adjectives describing its characteristics (e.g., holosystolic murmur, ejection murmur). - It is often discussed in relation to its potential causes, such as valve abnormalities.

Examples

• The physical examination revealed a systolic murmur at the left sternal border.
• An echocardiogram was ordered to evaluate the cause of the patient's new systolic murmur.
• The systolic murmur was classified as grade 2/6 in intensity.

Advanced Usage

• Innocent (or Functional) Systolic Murmur: A benign murmur with no underlying heart disease, common in children and young adults.
• Pathologic Systolic Murmur: A murmur indicating an underlying structural heart problem, such as aortic stenosis or mitral regurgitation.
• The timing within systole (e.g., early, mid, late, holosystolic) and the location where it is heard loudest are critical for diagnosis.

Variants and Related Words

• Heart murmur (n): The general term for an abnormal heart sound, which can occur during systole or diastole.
• Diastolic murmur (n): An abnormal heart sound heard during the diastole phase (when the heart relaxes and fills with blood).
• Systole (n): The phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle contracts.
• Murmur (n): In a medical context, it refers specifically to an abnormal sound from the heart or blood vessels.

Synonyms

• Cardiac murmur (when specifying it is of cardiac origin during systole).
• Systolic heart sound (though this is less precise, as "murmur" specifically denotes an abnormal sound).

Related Phrases/Idioms

This is a technical medical term and is not used in idiomatic expressions.

Noun

1. a murmur heard during systole