What would be an abnormal finding for heart sounds during the examination?

The presence of additional heart sounds beyond the normal S1 and S2 can indicate underlying cardiovascular issues, which is why this option is considered an abnormal finding. Normally, healthy adults will have just two primary sounds during the cardiac cycle: the first heart sound (S1), caused by the closure of the mitral and tricuspid valves, and the second heart sound (S2), produced by the closure of the aortic and pulmonary valves.

Additional sounds such as S3 or S4 can indicate heart failure or other pathologies; for example, an S3 sound may suggest volume overload due to congestive heart failure, while an S4 may signal stiffened ventricles or increased resistance to filling. Therefore, the presence of these abnormal sounds is clinically significant and warrants further investigation to assess the patient's cardiac health.

The other choices reflect normal or less concerning heart sound findings. The presence of S1 and S2 only is expected in a healthy individual, while a regular rhythm is also typically a sign of normal heart function. The absence of all heart sounds would indicate a severe and uncommon condition that would likely be detectable through additional clinical signs and require immediate attention, but in this context, it is not categorized as "abnormal" in the same