Heart murmurs are caused by turbulent blood flow through valves or ventricular outflow tracts.
Factors that cause cardiac murmurs can have effects throughout the body. A thorough examination may be sufficient for diagnosis and auscultation serves as supportive evidence. In practice, there is a limited combination of physical signs and murmurs.
Certain characteristics of cardiac murmurs can imply a specific diagnosis e.g. a continuous machinery-like murmur in a neonate indicates a patent ductus arteriosus.
Note: low- and medium-frequency sounds (eg mid-diastolic murmurs) are more easily heard with the bell of the stethoscope applied lightly to the skin. High-frequency sounds (eg some regurgitant murmurs, ejection murmurs) are more easily heard with the diaphragm.
Note also that as far as a cardiologist is concerned, a heart murmur is not a sound - it is a murmur.
Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page