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Information for Parents
HEART MURMUR: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
What Is A Heart Murmur?
The heart may be likened to a noisy pump producing a variety of sounds, much like an orchestra. When doctors listen to the heart with a stethoscope, they can hear the sounds of the working heart. These include the action of the blood moving around the heart and out into the big vessels as well as the closing of the heart valves. A heart murmur is the sound the blood makes when it is moving through the heart.
The heart may be likened to a noisy pump producing a variety of sounds, much like an orchestra.
When doctors listen to the heart with a stethoscope, they can hear the sounds of the working heart.
What Is An Innocent Heart Murmur?
The most common type of heart murmur in children is that of the sound of the blood moving through a structurally normal heart, hence we also call these physiological or functional murmurs. Some heart murmurs may be because of a problem with the structure of the heart such as a narrow or leaking valve or holes between the chambers of the heart. Almost all children will have an innocent murmur at one time or another .This is because they have small, slim chests so their hearts are nearer to a stethoscope than those of adults. Further, their hearts beat faster, so the blood moves around with more speed. Innocent murmurs are louder when the heart is beating faster than usual. The heart can beat faster, for example if your child is anxious or having a fever.
Children with innocent murmurs do not need restriction of activities, a special diet, special treatment or further cardiology follow up. If your child has an innocent murmur consider it to be a normal situation. It is not even a potential problem. As the years go by the heart grows and lies deeper within the body and the heart rate slows, therefore most innocent murmurs will go away on their own as a child gets older.
Prepared by Dr. Charmaine Scott, O.D.
This test records the electrical activity that initiates the muscular contraction associated with each heartbeat. Stickers called electrodes are placed at six places on the chest in the region of the heart as well as the upper arms and legs. Special wires are placed on each sticker and collect electrical images from different parts of the heart. These images are sent to a special machine that produces a picture on graph paper of the electrical impulses that pass through the heart.
The test is safe, quick and painless. The machine only records electrical activity from the heart. It does not send electricity into the body. We then analyze the tracing on the graph paper and get information about heart rhythm and rate. By measuring the amount of electrical activity passing through the heart muscle we are also able to determine if of the heart chambers are enlarged or overworked. HOLTER MONITOR This is a portable electrocardiogram that records the electrical activity of the heart over one to two days.
Prepared by Dr. Charmaine Scott, O.D.
THE ELECTROCARDIOGRAM (ECG/EKG) TEST
THE ECHOCARIOGRAM (ECHO)
The echocardiogram is a cardiac ultrasound test. During the procedure a probe called a transducer is passed over the chest in the region of the heart. The probe sends out sound waves at a frequency too high to be heard. The sound waves move through the skin and other body tissues to the heart tissue where they bounce or “echo” off the heart structures back to the probe.
They are then sent to a computer that can create moving pictures of the heart structures which are viewed on video monitor. The test is painless and does not have side effects. It is done in a dark room to be able to better see the pictures on the monitor. Gel is placed on the skin to help the sound waves to pass through the skin. The gel is cold so for added comfort we warm our gel before use.
Babies and young infants are often terrified by just being in a new environment and by the removal of their clothing to expose the chest. We therefore have various means of getting them relaxed and settled. On rare occasions arrangements have to make for sedation to be given during the procedure. The pictures obtained give information about heart structure and function. Doppler ultrasound technique is also included to assess flow of blood through the heart valves and chambers.
Prepared by Dr. Charmaine Scott, O.D.
