Estimating pressure gradients by auscultation: How technology (echocardiography) can help improve clinical skills

Table 1 Summary table of key findings for pulmonary stenosis, aortic stenosis, and ventricular septal defect

Lesion	n	Mean gradient (mmHg)	Agreement to: ≤ 15 mmHg	≤ 10 mmHg	≤ 5 mmHg	r
Pulmonary stenosis
PS (all)	563	42 ± 28	82%	70%	49%	0.85
Valvar PS	313	36 ± 22	89%	77%	56%	0.85
Complex PS	250	49 ± 32	72%	61%	40%	0.84
PVR	81	48 ± 25	84%	65%	42%	0.86
Aortic stenosis
AS (all)	234	38 ± 24	81%	71%	49%	0.8
Valvar AS	112	42 ± 24	77%	68%	46%	0.76
Complex AS	122	34 ± 23	85%	75%	52%	0.85
AVR	34	46 ± 22	71%	65%	38%	0.71
Ventricular septal defect
VSD	396	83 ± 31	70%	60%	36%	0.82

“Complex” AS or PS denotes non-valvar stenosis or multi-level stenosis, such as the PS observed in patients with tetralogy of Fallot. AS: Aortic stenosis; AVR: Aortic valve replacement; CHD: Congenital heart defects; PS: Pulmonary stenosis; PVR: Pulmonary valve replacement; VSD: Ventricular septal defect.