Blood Pressure, Heart Tones, and Diagnoses

Abstract

Fundamental to providing comprehensive care to patients is the ability to obtain an accurate medical history and carefully perform and interpret a physical examination. The optimal selection of further tests, treatments, and use of subspecialists depends on well-developed skills for taking patient history and a physical diagnosis. An important part of a normal physical examination is obtaining a blood pressure reading and auscultation of the heart tones, which both represent critical cornerstones in evaluating a patient’s hemodynamic status and diagnosing and understanding physiological and anatomical pathology.