Heart murmurs are heart sounds associated with the beating of the heart.
They can usually be heard by the examining doctor through the use of a stethoscope. Murmurs can be either innocent or pathological. An innocent murmur is due to normal turbulence and vibration as the blood passes through the heart and does not indicate present or future disease. Pathological murmurs may be due to congenital defects or heart disease. To some parents they can pose an unknown problem which, with a lack of knowledge, can lead to unnecessary anguish, particularly in the case of a new born baby when the murmur may only be innocent in nature.