Accuracy of cardiac auscultation by general practitioners and cardiologists in the diagnosis of VHD, compared with echocardiography as the reference standard (95% CIs in parentheses)
| Significant VHD | ||||
| (A) General practitioners | ||||
| Positive | Negative | Total | ||
| Murmur present | 16 | 66 | 82 | PPV: 20% (12% to 30%) |
| Murmur absent | 20 | 149 | 169 | NPV: 88% (82% to 93%) |
| Total | 36 | 215 | 251 | Prev: 14% (10% to 19%) |
| Sens: 44% (28% to 62%) | Spec: 69% (63% to 75%) | |||
| LR+: 1.45 (0.95 to 2.20) | LR−: 0.80 (0.59 to 1.09) | |||
| (B) Cardiologists (mean rating) | ||||
| Positive | Negative | Total | ||
| Murmur present | 11 | 40 | 51 | PPV: 22% (11% to 35%) |
| Murmur absent | 25 | 175 | 200 | NPV: 88% (82% to 92%) |
| Total | 36 | 215 | 251 | Prev: 14% (10% to 19%) |
| Sens: 31% (16% to 48%) | Spec: 81% (76% to 86%) | |||
| LR+: 1.64 (0.93 to 2.89) | LR−: 0.85 (0.68 to 1.07) | |||
VHD, valvular heart disease., PPV, positive predictive value; NPV, negative predictive value; Sens sensitivity; Sepc, specificity; LR, likelihood ratio; Prev, prevalance