On auscultation, the nurse suspects a diagnosis of mitral valve stenosis when which of the following is heard?

a) Low-pitched, rumbling diastolic murmur at the apex of the heart
b) High-pitched blowing sound at the apex
c) Mitral valve click
d) Diastolic murmur at the left sternal border of the heart

The correct answer is option a. A low-pitched, rumbling diastolic murmur at the apex of the heart is indicative of mitral valve stenosis when auscultated by a nurse.

Explanation:

When auscultating for heart sounds and suspecting a diagnosis of mitral valve stenosis, the nurse would listen for a specific type of murmur. The characteristic sound associated with mitral stenosis is a low-pitched, rumbling diastolic murmur heard at the apex of the heart. This murmur occurs during diastole when the mitral valve should be open, and it is caused by blood turbulence as it passes through the narrowed mitral valve.

Therefore, the correct answer is a) Low-pitched, rumbling diastolic murmur at the apex of the heart. This is in contrast to a high-pitched blowing sound, which would be associated with mitral regurgitation, a mitral valve click which might indicate mitral valve prolapse, or a diastolic murmur heard at the left sternal border, which could suggest aortic or pulmonic valve abnormalities.