Second Heart Sound - Fixed Splitting 297

Introduction to Clinical Electrophysiology and the ECG

On this page, we present fixed splitting of the second heart sound. The separation of the two components of the second heart sound remains unchanged through inspiration and expiration at sixty milliseconds in this example. Fixed splitting of the second heart sound (along with murmurs) indicates the presence of an atrial septal defect, a congenital heart defect in which the intra-atrial septum is incomplete resulting in a hole between the left and right atria. The murmurs have been eliminated in this lesson so that you can concentrate on the fixed splitting of the second heart sound.

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patient thorax when auscultating by stethoscope

The patient was supine during auscultation.

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