Sienna Rhodes
A heart murmur is an unusual sound that can be heard when listening to the heart. It is caused by turbulent blood flow within the heart, which can be the result of a heart valve not functioning properly. Innocent heart murmurs are harmless and can occur in healthy hearts, whereas abnormal heart murmurs can indicate an underlying health condition. Doctors will listen to the heart to determine if the murmur is concerning and whether further testing is required.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Sound | Whooshing, swishing, humming, or rasping |
| Cause | Turbulent blood flow through the heart |
| Types | Innocent (harmless) or abnormal |
| Heartbeat sound | Extra atypical sound in addition to the "lub-dub, lub-dub" of a regular heartbeat |
| Continuous murmur | Intense, rough, and trembling "hum" sound |
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What You'll Learn
Heart murmurs are usually harmless
Abnormal murmurs, on the other hand, indicate underlying health conditions such as heart valve disease or congenital heart abnormalities. These murmurs may require medical attention and further testing, such as a chest X-ray, EKG, or echocardiogram. However, it's important to note that most heart murmurs are not serious, and a primary care provider can determine if any follow-up care is needed.
In the case of continuous murmurs, which occur throughout the cardiac cycle, they can be intense and rough, accompanied by a trembling "hum" sound. These murmurs can be observed in individuals with patent ductus arteriosus, a type of congenital heart abnormality.
While heart murmurs are typically benign, it is always advisable to consult a healthcare professional for a thorough evaluation and to address any concerns.
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Innocent heart murmurs
A heart murmur is an unusual, extra sound heard while listening to the heart. Innocent heart murmurs are harmless and can occur in a healthy heart. They are caused by blood flowing through the heart, not by heart disease. They can be common during infancy and childhood and often disappear by adulthood. They are sometimes known as "functional", "physiological", or vibratory murmurs.
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Abnormal heart murmurs
Heart murmurs are sounds produced due to turbulent blood flow within the heart. In a healthy adult heart, blood flows smoothly and quietly, producing a "lub-dub, lub-dub" sound. However, when a person has a heart murmur, the blood flow becomes rapid and turbulent, causing the soft cardiac tissues to vibrate and produce extra, atypical sounds. These sounds can vary, including whooshing, swishing, humming, or rasping.
Another example of an abnormal heart murmur is the Austin Flint murmur, a low-pitched rumbling sound heard during mid-diastole. This murmur is caused by aortic regurgitation, where regurgitated blood mixes with blood from the left atrium during atrial contraction. Clinical signs of aortic regurgitation can include Corrigan's sign, which is the visible distention and collapse of the carotid arteries in the neck, and De Musset's sign, characterised by head bobbing synchronised with each heartbeat.
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Continuous murmurs
A heart murmur is a whooshing or swishing sound heard during a heartbeat. It is caused by turbulent or abnormal blood flow across the heart valves or near the heart. Heart murmurs are quite common, and most people experience an innocent heart murmur at some point during childhood.
Healthcare providers classify murmurs based on how intense or loud they are. They use a scale of 1 to 6, with 1 being the quietest and 6 being the loudest. Continuous murmurs can vary in intensity, with some being louder than others.
To diagnose a continuous murmur, a healthcare provider will use a stethoscope to listen to the heart sounds. They may also ask the patient to move into different positions, such as squatting or standing, to see if the murmur changes. Further tests, such as echocardiograms or chest X-rays, may be necessary to evaluate the heart's structure and rhythm.
While most heart murmurs are harmless, it is important to get them evaluated by a healthcare professional. Continuous murmurs can sometimes indicate a problem with the heart, and further tests may be needed to determine the underlying cause. Treatment options, such as medication, lifestyle changes, or surgery, will depend on the specific diagnosis.
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Primary heart sounds
A typical heartbeat makes a "lub-dub" sound, which is often described as a "lub-dub, lub-dub" sequence. These are the primary heart sounds, which occur in sequence with each heartbeat. The first heart sound, or S1, forms the "lub" sound and is composed of mitral valve closure (M1) and tricuspid valve closure (T1). The mitral valve closure sound, or M1, is much louder than the tricuspid valve closure sound, or T1, due to higher pressures in the left side of the heart. The second heart sound, or S2, forms the "dub" sound and is composed of aortic valve closure (A2) and pulmonary valve closure (P2). The aortic valve closure sound, or A2, is louder than the pulmonary valve closure sound, or P2, because of higher pressures in the aorta compared to the pulmonary artery.
The first heart sound, S1, is produced by the closing of the mitral and tricuspid valves, which are also known as the atrioventricular valves. The second heart sound, S2, is produced by the closing of the aortic and pulmonic valves, which are also known as the semilunar valves. These valves close as the ventricles eject blood. The third heart sound, S3, is rarely heard and is also known as a protodiastolic gallop or ventricular gallop. It occurs at the beginning of diastole after S2 and is lower in pitch than S1 or S2. The fourth heart sound, S4, is almost always indicative of a pathological condition.
The primary heart sounds are discrete, short audible events that are produced by specific cardiac events, such as the closure of a valve or the tensing of a chordae tendineae. Heart sounds can be described by their intensity (loud, soft, or absent), pitch (high or low), location, quality, and timing in the cardiac cycle. The location of the heart sound can help determine its cause, and the standard listening posts (aortic, pulmonic, tricuspid, and mitral) apply to both heart sounds and murmurs. The timing of a heart sound can be described as early, mid, or late systole, or early, mid, or late diastole.
Heart murmurs are different from typical heart sounds and are generated by turbulent blood flow. They can be described as a whooshing, swishing, humming, or rasping sound. Heart murmurs are due to turbulence created when the heart valves snap shut, causing adjacent soft cardiac tissues to vibrate. Murmurs can be innocent or abnormal. Innocent heart murmurs are harmless and can occur in a healthy heart, while abnormal heart murmurs indicate an underlying health condition.
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Frequently asked questions
A heart murmur is an extra, atypical sound that occurs during a heartbeat. It can be described as a whooshing, swishing, humming, or rasping sound. This is due to rapid, turbulent blood flow through the heart.
Yes, according to the American Heart Association (AHA), there are two types of heart murmurs: innocent and abnormal. Innocent heart murmurs are harmless and can occur in a healthy heart, often in newborns and children. Abnormal heart murmurs indicate an underlying health condition, such as heart valve disease or a congenital heart abnormality.
A heart murmur is typically detected by a doctor during a cardiovascular examination using a stethoscope. If a murmur is heard, the doctor will consider factors such as when during the cardiac cycle the murmur is heard, its characteristics and intensity. Further testing, such as a chest X-ray, EKG, or echocardiogram, may be ordered to evaluate the cause of the murmur.
