Buy backpacks, exercise machines, athletic shoes, and more at Fogdog Sports. A heart murmur is an abnormal, extra sound during the heartbeat cycle made by blood moving through the heart and its valves. It is detected by the physician's examination using a stethoscope. A heart murmur is a series of vibratory sounds made by turbulent blood flow. The sounds are longer than normal heart sounds and can be heard between the normal sounds of the heart.
Heart murmurs are common in children and can also result from heart or valve defects.
Nearly two thirds of heart murmurs in children are produced by a normal heart and are harmless. Innocent heart murmurs are usually very faint, intermittent, and occur in a small area of the chest. Pathologic heart murmurs may indicate the presence of a serious heart defect. They are louder, continual, and may be accompanied by a click or gallop. Heart murmurs can be diastolic or systolic.