Thursday, February, 09, 2012

Heart murmurs and other sounds

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Chest sounds - murmurs; Heart sounds - abnormal; Murmur - innocent; Innocent murmur; Systolic heart murmur; Diastolic heart murmur


Home Care


What to expect at your health care provider's office

The health care provider will usually discover a heart murmur during a physical examination. You may or may not have been aware of its presence. The physical examination will include careful attention to heart sounds.

The doctor may ask the following questions:

  • Have other family members had murmurs or other abnormal heart sounds?
  • Is there any family history of heart problems?
  • What other symptoms do you have, such as:
    • Bluish skin color (cyanosis)
    • Chest pain
    • Distended neck veins
    • Fainting (syncope)
    • Liver enlargement
    • Lung sound changes
    • Shortness of breath
    • Swelling
    • Weight gain

The health care provider can often identify the valve involved and whether you have regurgitation or stenosis during the exam. The location, quality, and timing of the murmur are all important. The doctor may ask you to squat, stand, or hold your breath while bearing down or gripping something with your hands to listen to your heart.

Diagnostic testing to determine the cause of a "new" murmur or other abnormal heart sound may include:

  • Chest x-ray
  • ECG
  • Echocardiography

Review Date: 06/05/2010
Reviewed By: Issam Mikati, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Director, Northwestern Clinic Echocardiography Lab, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)