Which term describes an abnormal swishing sound caused by valve closure defects?

• A. Tachycardia
• B. Murmur
• C. Orthopnea
• D. Syncope

Answer: (B)

An abnormal swishing sound caused by valve closure defects is called a murmur. When heart valves don’t close properly or blood leaks backward, the flow becomes turbulent as it moves through or around the valve during the heartbeat. This turbulence creates an extra sound that clinicians hear with a stethoscope, often described as swishing, blowing, or musical. Murmurs can arise from regurgitation (leakage backward through a valve) or stenosis (narrowing that disrupts flow), and they are typically classified by when they occur in the cardiac cycle (systolic or diastolic) and by their intensity and quality. In contrast, tachycardia refers to an abnormally fast heart rate, orthopnea to shortness of breath when lying down, and syncope to fainting—none of which describe the sound heard on auscultation.