2020 Volume 34 Issue 5 Pages 731-736
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the usefulness of cardiac auscultation in cardiovascular disease screening.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on findings obtained by screening using electrocardiography (ECG), chest X-rays, or cardiac auscultation in patients newly diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases among 9,763 who had undergone a health check-up at our hospital in the period of one year from April 2018.
Results: Fifty-two patients were newly diagnosed. Among them, the numbers of findings obtained in screening were 42 for ECG, 23 for cardiac auscultation, and 8 for chest X-rays. Thirty-one of the findings were from a single screening method, consisting of 15 from cardiac auscultation, 16 from ECG, and 0 from chest X-rays. All 15 patients with findings obtained only in auscultation of heart murmurs had valvular diseases, and were asymptomatic in clinical examinations. Four patients who were later diagnosed with moderate or severe valvular diseases had only been positive for cardiovascular disease findings in cardiac auscultation, of whom one underwent valve replacement six months after a health check-up.
Conclusion: Cardiac auscultation is an essential screening method for valvular diseases.
