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Anyone Who Had A Heart by Phil Stephens

Part V—Brianna: Follow-up

An echocardiogram reveals that Brianna’s heart valves are normal—neither incompetent nor stenotic.

Questions

  1. What are the possible diagnoses for Brianna’s condition at this time? For each diagnosis that you come up with, describe the signs or symptoms that relate to that diagnosis. Try to think logically—sometimes the line of reasoning and the correct questions are more important than the answer.
  2. Does a heart murmur necessarily indicate a dysfunctional valve? What other defects could produce the murmur heard through the stethoscope?

Go to Part VI—“Brianna: Conclusion”


Originally published at http://www.sciencecases.org/fetal_heart/fetal_heart5.asp

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