The health care provider will perform a physical exam and take
the blood pressure and pulse in the arms and legs. The pulse in
the groin (femoral) area or feet will be weaker than the pulse
in the arms or neck (carotid). Sometimes, the femoral pulse may
not be felt at all. The blood pressure in the legs is usually
weaker than in the arms. Blood pressure is usually higher in the
arms after infancy. The doctor will use a stethoscope to listen
to the heart and check for murmurs. People with aortic
coarctation have a harsh-sounding murmur that can be heard from
the back. Other types of murmurs may also be present.
Coarctation is often discovered during a newborn's first
examination or well-baby exam. Taking the pulse in an infant is
an important part of the examination, because there may not be
any other symptoms until the child is older. Both Doppler
ultrasound and cardiac catheterization can be used to see if
there are any differences in blood pressure in different areas
of the aorta. Most newborns with symptom