❤️ Heart Murmur Heard at 2nd Left Intercostal Space

To understand this question, we first need to understand how doctors listen to the heart. This process is called auscultation.

What is Auscultation?
Auscultation means listening to the sounds of the body using a stethoscope. Doctors and nurses listen to heart sounds to check if the heart valves are working normally.

Sometimes abnormal sounds called murmurs are heard. A murmur is a blowing or whooshing sound produced when blood flows abnormally through the heart valves.

What is an Intercostal Space?
The ribs protect our chest. The small space between two ribs is called an intercostal space.

For example, the space between the second and third rib is called the 2nd intercostal space.

Where is the 2nd Left Intercostal Space?
It is the area between the ribs on the left side of the sternum (breastbone). Different heart valves are best heard at specific areas of the chest.

Which valve is heard here?
At the 2nd left intercostal space along the left sternal border, the sound of the pulmonic valve is best heard.

✅ Correct Answer: Pulmonic Valve

Why the Pulmonic Valve?
The pulmonic valve lies between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery. When blood leaves the heart to go to the lungs, it passes through this valve.

Because of its anatomical position, the sound of this valve travels best to the 2nd left intercostal space.

Quick way students remember this:

• Aortic valve → 2nd right intercostal space
• Pulmonic valve → 2nd left intercostal space
• Tricuspid valve → 4th left intercostal space
• Mitral (bicuspid) valve → 5th intercostal space at the apex

Simple Exam Trick:
2nd Right → Aortic
2nd Left → Pulmonic

💚 Exam Objective Nursing – Asha D
Concept clarity • Strong recall • Nursing success