06/18/2026
The ejection (systolic) murmur is one of the most characteristic acoustic findings in cardiology, arising from turbulent blood flow through a narrowed valve opening during ventricular ejection. On a spectrogram, it appears as a high-frequency murmur with a distinctive diamond-shaped, crescendo-decrescendo pattern: the intensity gradually rises, peaks roughly at mid-systole, and then progressively fades.
This murmur begins shortly after the first heart sound (S1) and typically occupies the first two-thirds of systole, after which there is a brief period of silence — a pause — before the second heart sound (S2). This pause preceding S2 is a key acoustic clue that helps distinguish an ejection murmur from other systolic murmurs, such as a pansystolic (holosystolic) murmur.
The classic condition associated with this acoustic pattern is aortic stenosis, where narrowing of the aortic valve obstructs blood flow out of the left ventricle and produces this characteristic turbulence.
📱With Stethophone, heart sounds can be visualized as a detailed spectrogram, supporting recognition of the murmur's shape, duration, and frequency characteristics. This kind of heart sound visualization supports clinicians in the structured assessment of acoustic findings associated with valvular heart disease, particularly in clinically challenging cases.
