Which valve is best heard at the second intercostal space on the right side of the chest?

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Multiple Choice

Which valve is best heard at the second intercostal space on the right side of the chest?

Listening locations for heart valves align with where each valve lies as it sits in the chest. The aortic valve sits just behind the right second intercostal space at the sternal border, so it’s loudest there—the aortic area. That’s why the best place to hear the aortic valve is at the right second intercostal space. The other valves have their classic spots: the pulmonary valve is best heard at the left second intercostal space, the mitral valve at the apex around the left 5th intercostal space in the midclavicular line, and the tricuspid valve along the left lower sternal border around the 4th–5th intercostal spaces.

Listening locations for heart valves align with where each valve lies as it sits in the chest. The aortic valve sits just behind the right second intercostal space at the sternal border, so it’s loudest there—the aortic area. That’s why the best place to hear the aortic valve is at the right second intercostal space. The other valves have their classic spots: the pulmonary valve is best heard at the left second intercostal space, the mitral valve at the apex around the left 5th intercostal space in the midclavicular line, and the tricuspid valve along the left lower sternal border around the 4th–5th intercostal spaces.

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