Austin Flint murmur
Encyclopedia
In cardiology
, an Austin Flint murmur is a mid-diastolic or presystolic murmur low-pitched rumbling murmur
which is best heard at the cardiac apex
. It is associated with severe aortic regurgitation, although the role of this sign in clinical practice has been questioned.
, conventional and colour flow doppler ultrasound, and cine nuclear magnetic resonance
(cine NMR) imaging suggest the murmur is the result of (aortic regurgitant) flow impingement on the inner surface of the heart, i.e. the endocardium
.
leaftlet displacement and turbulent mixing of antegrade mitral
flow and retrograde
aortic
flow:
Displacement: The blood
jets from the aortic regurgitation strike the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve
, which often results in premature closure of the mitral leaflets. This can be mistaken for mitral stenosis.
Turbulence of the two columns of blood: Blood from left atrium
to left ventricle and blood from aorta to left ventricle
.
the 19th century American
physician
Austin Flint
(1812–1886).
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
, an Austin Flint murmur is a mid-diastolic or presystolic murmur low-pitched rumbling murmur
Heart murmur
Murmurs are extra heart sounds that are produced as a result of turbulent blood flow that is sufficient to produce audible noise. Most murmurs can only be heard with the assistance of a stethoscope ....
which is best heard at the cardiac apex
Apex of the heart
The apex of the heart is the lowest superficial part of the heart.It is directed downward, forward, and to the left, and is overlapped by the left lung and pleura.-External anatomy:...
. It is associated with severe aortic regurgitation, although the role of this sign in clinical practice has been questioned.
Mechanism
EchocardiographyEchocardiography
An echocardiogram, often referred to in the medical community as a cardiac ECHO or simply an ECHO, is a sonogram of the heart . Also known as a cardiac ultrasound, it uses standard ultrasound techniques to image two-dimensional slices of the heart...
, conventional and colour flow doppler ultrasound, and cine nuclear magnetic resonance
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Nuclear magnetic resonance is a physical phenomenon in which magnetic nuclei in a magnetic field absorb and re-emit electromagnetic radiation...
(cine NMR) imaging suggest the murmur is the result of (aortic regurgitant) flow impingement on the inner surface of the heart, i.e. the endocardium
Endocardium
The endocardium is the innermost layer of tissue that lines the chambers of the heart. Its cells are embryologically and biologically similar to the endothelial cells that line blood vessels....
.
Classical description
Classically, it is described as being the result of mitral valveMitral valve
The mitral valve is a dual-flap valve in the heart that lies between the left atrium and the left ventricle...
leaftlet displacement and turbulent mixing of antegrade mitral
Mitral valve
The mitral valve is a dual-flap valve in the heart that lies between the left atrium and the left ventricle...
flow and retrograde
Retrograde
-Retrograde:* Retrograde motion, in astronomy, describes retrograde motions of celestial bodies relative to a gravitationally central object* Apparent retrograde motion, in astronomy, is the apparent motion of planets as observed from a particular vantage point...
aortic
Aortic valve
The aortic valve is one of the valves of the heart. It is normally tricuspid , although in 1% of the population it is found to be congenitally bicuspid . It lies between the left ventricle and the aorta....
flow:
Displacement: The blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
jets from the aortic regurgitation strike the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve
Mitral valve
The mitral valve is a dual-flap valve in the heart that lies between the left atrium and the left ventricle...
, which often results in premature closure of the mitral leaflets. This can be mistaken for mitral stenosis.
Turbulence of the two columns of blood: Blood from left atrium
Left atrium
The left atrium is one of the four chambers in the human heart. It receives oxygenated blood from the pulmonary veins, and pumps it into the left ventricle, via the mitral valve.-Foramen ovale:...
to left ventricle and blood from aorta to left ventricle
Left ventricle
The left ventricle is one of four chambers in the human heart. It receives oxygenated blood from the left atrium via the mitral valve, and pumps it into the aorta via the aortic valve.-Shape:...
.
Name
The Austin Flint murmur is named afterEponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
the 19th century American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
Austin Flint
Austin Flint
Austin Flint was an American physician, born at Petersham, Massachusetts He was educated at Amherst and Harvard and graduated at the latter in 1833. After practicing at Boston and Northampton, he moved to Buffalo, N. Y., in 1836...
(1812–1886).