Comparison of heart sounds recorded at the chest and a remote arterial site

Auscultation is one of the most fundamental methods of noninvasive diagnosis of cardiac abnormalities. However, this method is highly subjective. A visual display of heart sound waveforms provides a more comprehensive analysis of the state of the heart. We compared recordings obtained from the chest and the carotid artery. Results show both intensity and frequency content are location-dependent and the variations are greater in second heart sound.