Advice

[Starfly13]

What does a stethoscope pick up regarding the heart and chest And I would to know something about beta blockers

[Midgeymoo17]

Stethescope can actually pick up a lot. It allows the doctor to heart the sound the blood flowing through the heart makes. Abnormal sounds can indicate: a leaking valve, an enlarged pumping chamber or restricted pumping chamber or holes in the wall between the left and right side. And based on where the stethoscope is placed quite often a doctor will know which valve or pumping chamber is affected. Normally an echocardiogram is used to confirm a diagnosis suspected by stethoscope before patient is told diagnosis.

[Sunnie2day]

What Midgeymoo17 said, plus the sound of 'pericardial friction rub', a unique sound heard through the stethoscope when the pericardium has fluid accumulation (known as 'pericardial effusion') - the presence of the sound tell the practitioner there is effusion present, indicating an 'acute flare' of pericarditis.

There are many diagnostic heart sounds heard through a stethoscope; same with the rest of the chest - there is a sound specific to pneumonia, for just one lung example.

As for beta blockers...some love 'em, some hate 'em. Dosages vary from patient to patient and reason for prescribing. I'm on Bisoprolol (inexpensive, very efficient for those who can tolerate it - some can't, some persevere as they find the benefits outweigh what for them are mild side effects) my dose is 1.25mg+300mg aspirin once a day.

I take mine in the morning, takes me a hour to fully wake and I fall asleep around 11pm - I used to be a night owl. My skin is a little dry from it, my nose runs, and I have a tendency to have dry cough fits, lol, usually when out and about where I have to reassure people 'No, not Coronavirus, just my heart meds, promise!'

For me the benefits far outweigh the side effects but others have reported horrific dreams, freezing hands and feet, and more. There are other beta blockers if Bisoprolol isn't well tolerated for what ever reason.

I was put on the beta blocker for angina (with 'normal' coronaries) and to 'calm an exceptionally strong heartbeat'. It's also sometimes prescribed for hypertension.

Hope this helps - others will be along to add, soon.