Auscultation of the Heart

Auscultation of the heart involves auscultating the apical pulse followed by auscultating the valves of the heart. You must always cleanse the stethoscope prior to auscultating. After you have cleansed it, do not set it down on the table or wrap it around your neck because this will contaminate it.

Extraneous noises can be heard when in a noisy environment or with a client who has a hairy chest. Thus, it is important to reduce environmental noise if possible and keep your stethoscope still when you press it against the chest.