Which pairing correctly matches a cardiac valve to its auscultation location as described?

• A. Aortic valve at 2nd ICS, right sternal border
• B. Aortic valve at 5th ICS, midclavicular line
• C. Aortic valve at 3rd ICS, left sternal border
• D. Aortic valve at 2nd ICS, left sternal border

Answer: (D)

Heart valve listening spots are fixed landmarks. The aortic valve is best heard at the right second intercostal space along the sternal border. The left second intercostal space is the pulmonic area, not where the aortic valve is auscultated. For reference, the mitral valve is heard at the apex—typically the left fifth intercostal space at the midclavicular line—while the tricuspid valve is heard along the left lower sternal border around the fourth to fifth intercostal spaces. A handy mnemonic is Aortic right 2nd, Pulmonic left 2nd, Erb’s point left 3rd-4th, Tricuspid left 4th-5th, Mitral apex left 5th midclavicular. So the correct pairing places the aortic valve at the right second intercostal space, not the left.