What is the typical description of the murmur associated with pulmonary stenosis?

The murmur associated with pulmonary stenosis is typically described as a harsh, high-pitched systolic murmur. This characteristic arises from the turbulence created by blood flow across the narrowed pulmonary outflow tract during systole, when the right ventricle contracts to push blood into the pulmonary artery.

In pulmonary stenosis, the increased pressure gradient across the stenotic valve results in a murmur that is not only high-pitched but also harsh in quality, which can often be best appreciated along the left sternal border. The timing of the murmur aligns with the systolic phase of the cardiac cycle, making it distinctly identifiable during examination.

The other descriptions do not accurately characterize the murmur of pulmonary stenosis. For example, a midsystolic ejection murmur with a fixed split typically pertains to conditions like atrial septal defects, where right heart volume overload leads to variable timing of valve closure. Diastolic rumble is more indicative of mitral stenosis, occurring during diastole when blood passes through a narrowed valve. A holosystolic murmur is commonly associated with conditions such as mitral regurgitation, where the murmur occurs throughout the entire systolic phase.