A heart murmur is an extra or unusual sound heard during your heartbeat. Murmurs range from very faint to very loud and sometimes sound like a whooshing or swishing noise. Normal heartbeat sounds-"lub-DUPP" or "lub-DUB"-are the valves closing as blood moves through the heart. (Go to the How the Heart Works section for more information about how a normal heart works.)
The heart has two sides, separated by an inner wall called the septum. The right side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen. Then, oxygen-rich blood returns from the lungs to the left side of the heart, and the left side pumps it to the body. The heart has four chambers and four valves, and it is connected to various blood vessels. Veins are the blood vessels that carry blood from the body to the heart, while arteries are the vessels that carry blood away from the heart to the body.
If you have a heart valve problem, your doctor has probably heard a sound called a murmur. To find out what kind of valve problem you have, your doctor may have ordered various tests, including an echocardiogram, an electrocardiogram, a chest x-ray, or cardiac catheterization. You may have taken medications to help treat your valve problem. If you have been referred to us, your doctor is recommending heart valve surgery. During this surgery, problem heart valves will either be repaired or replaced.
In adults, abnormal murmurs are most often caused by damaged heart valves. Heart valves operate like one-way gates, helping blood flow in one direction between heart chambers as well as into and out of the heart. When disease or an infection damages a heart valve, it can cause scarring and affect how well the valve works. The valve may not be able to close properly, allowing blood to leak through. Or the valve may become too narrow or stiff to let enough blood through.
Heart murmurs can be heard through a stethoscope and often are detected during routine physical examinations. On further examination, your doctor may find that the heart murmur is innocent. If your heart murmur is related to more serious heart problems, your doctor may refer you to a cardiologist (heart specialist). Medication or surgery may be recommended to treat the underlying problem. He or she may also suggest that you take extra precautions against getting a heart infection, such as by taking antibiotics when you have dental work or some surgeries. With thorough examination and proper tests, your doctor should be able to tell what causes your heart murmur.
Most heart murmurs are harmless (innocent) and don't need treatment, but some heart murmurs may require follow-up tests to be sure the murmur isn't caused by a serious underlying heart condition. Treatment, if needed, is directed at the underlying cause of your heart murmurs. Heart murmurs can be present at birth (congenital) or develop later in life. A heart murmur isn't a disease - but murmurs may indicate an underlying heart problem.
Murmur has a rumbling character and is best heard with the bell of the stethoscope in the left ventricular impulse area with the patient in the lateral decubitus position. It usually starts with an opening snap. In general, the longer the duration, the more severe the mitral stenosis. However, this rule can be misleading in situations where the stenosis is so severe that the flow becomes reduced, or during high-output situations such as pregnancy where a less severe stenosis may still produce a strong murmur.