Heart murmurs are common in asymptomatic and otherwise well children. Many murmurs are innocent and result from normal patterns of blood flow through heart and blood vessels. However, a murmur can be the sole manifestation of structural heart disease; therefore, a careful evaluation is essential. If in doubt, referral to a paediatrician with expertise in cardiology (PEC) or paediatric cardiolog...

In this little pocket-book of 60 Pa.^?' a_ student will find a good deal of usefu tiou put simply and clearly. The text is illustrated with diagrams, showing the characteristics of the murmurs as to time, length and roughness. The book may easily be used for clinical reference and should prove of value to the beginners in acquiring the elements of cardiac ascultation. Many valuable hints are in...

This review article outlines the significance and defines the skills important for the diagnosis and recognition of common innocent cardiac murmurs in childhood. The origin of heart sounds and murmurs is reviewed, and an approach to pediatric murmur evaluation is presented. The seven innocent murmurs of childhood and adolescence are reviewed in detail. Further diagnostic evaluation and referral...

Innocent heart murmurs are quite common in children and adolescents. These murmurs are physiologic in nature and are not associated with any structural heart disease. Not only does the idea of having a child with a murmur bring unnecessary unrest to families, but the child also often goes through numerous tests that could be avoided. It is critical to obtain a detailed history and perform a tho...

Systolic murmurs present in 129 geriatric patients followed to post-mortem were assessed as mitral or aortic in origin by simple clinical assessment alone. Post-mortem examination contradicted clinical findings in only 2% of cases. Mitral valve pathology, mostly post-inflammatory scarring or mucoid degeneration, was present in 50% of the cases with murmurs. There was a significant correlation b...

A logic-based mnemonic for the auscultory diagnosis of nonpathologic murmurs, which I developed for teaching medical students and house staff, is presented with the hope of improving the auscultatory skills of primary care pediatric practitioners. The objective is positive identification of nonpathologic murmurs rather than diagnosis by exclusion. The auscultatory features of these murmurs are ...

M\ost heart murmurs diminish in intensity during straining. Those derived from the right heart and pulmonary circulation regain intensity immediately after straining. Those from the left heart and systemic circulation recover only after an appreciable delay. The murmurs of patent ductus arteriosue and of mitral stenosis each showed a modified, but characteristic response. These murmur changes w...

ee front matter & 2005 upe.2005.08.002 ing author. Tel.: +44 151 2 5643. ess: [email protected] Summary Cardiac murmurs are a common finding in asymptomatic paediatric patients. The most common causes are innocent murmurs and minor structural heart disease. Beyond the age of 6 weeks patients are unlikely to have major underlying heart disease. Presentation of asymptomatic murmurs may be varia...

The ability of the NP to discern pediatric heart murmurs is critical for accurate assessment of etiology, appropriate diagnostic testing, and prudent referral when indicated. This review includes an overview of cardiac assessment, distinguishing features of innocent and pathologic murmurs, differential diagnosis of murmurs, and current referral recommendations.

ONTRARY to the opinion of older clinicians diastolic murmurs are not always organic. This is demonstrated especially by the experiences we made with amplifier auscultation.2) Such non-organic murmurs may be produced by annular incompetence of a valve or by increased blood flow across a normal valve. The murmurs generated by such mechanisms in this report will be designated as " functional " to ...