What characteristic sound is associated with mitral regurgitation (MR)?

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is characterized by a distinctive heart murmur that often has a loud, high-pitched, blowing quality. This murmur is typically described as pansystolic or holosystolic, meaning it occurs throughout the entire systolic phase of the cardiac cycle. The sound is best heard at the apex of the heart, which is located at the left fifth intercostal space in the midclavicular line.

The reason this murmur takes on a blowing quality is due to the backflow of blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium during systole, which generates turbulence and creates the audible sound. This backflow increases in severity depending on the volume of regurgitant flow, which can be influenced by factors such as the size of the defect, the left atrial pressure, and the volume status of the patient.

In contrast, other types of murmurs have distinctly different characteristics. For example, diastolic murmurs are softer and often lower-pitched, typically associated with conditions like aortic regurgitation or mitral stenosis, and occur during diastole rather than systole. Musical sounds might indicate a different pathology, possibly reflecting a flow murmur or structural anomaly and