Your Child Has a Heart Murmur: What You Need To Know

Heart murmurs are quite common in infancy and childhood. In many cases, heart murmurs are not serious and do not affect a child’s health, but in rare cases, the heart murmur can be a sign of a serious condition.

That’s why it’s important for your child to see a pediatric cardiologist if your child’s doctor advises after detecting a heart murmur. A pediatric cardiologist can find out if your child’s murmur is caused by a problem in his or her heart or if it is nothing to worry about.

Causes of Heart Murmurs in Children

A heart murmur is an extra or unusual sound made by blood circulating in the heart and nearby blood vessels, says pediatric cardiologist Diana Drogalis-Kim, DO. Many times heart murmurs in babies and children are not serious, but at times they can be a part of a more serious condition. Your child’s health care provider can hear the murmur when listening to your child’s heart with a stethoscope.

Heart murmurs in children fall into two main categories. One is called an innocent heart murmur.

“This is simply the normal sound of blood pumping through your child’s heart,” Dr. Drogalis-Kim says. “Innocent murmurs are very common in children. If your child has an innocent heart murmur, it shouldn’t cause any problems or health concerns.”

The other type of murmur is a structural murmur. “This type of murmur can indicate a problem within your child’s heart,” Dr. Drogalis-Kim says.

Diagnosis of Heart Murmurs in Children

“If your pediatrician or pediatric cardiologist has concerns that your child's heart murmur may be due to a structural heart issue, the physician may order additional painless tests to take a closer look at your child's heart,” Dr. Drogalis-Kim says.

These tests include:

• An echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart), which uses sound waves to produce an image of your child’s heart. This test lets your doctor check the squeeze and structure of your child’s heart and the blood vessels surrounding the heart.
• An electrocardiogram (ECG), in which electrodes are placed on your child’s skin to record the heart’s electrical activity.

Treatment of Heart Murmurs in Children

If your child has an innocent murmur, he or she typically does not require need any cardiac treatment, Dr. Drogalis-Kim says. If your child has a structural murmur, you child’s health care provider will talk with you about treatment. Treatments depend on the severity of the condition and can include:

• Watching your child for symptoms
• Medicines
• Non-surgical procedures that repair the heart through blood vessels
• Surgery to repair the heart

How to Get the Most From Your Pediatric Cardiologist Visit

Dr. Drogalis-Kim provides these tips for parents to get the most from your child's visit with the pediatric cardiologist:

• Understand the reason for your visit
• Call 1^st- and 2^nd-degree family members and gather family history of heart disease, such as children born with heart defects, family members who needed heart surgery at a young age, or who had early heart attacks or strokes
• Write down the questions that you would like the doctor to address
• Jot down the name of the diagnosis and any new medications, treatments or tests
• Ask questions regarding your child’s exercise or activity limitations, if any
• Know how to contact your child’s provider if any questions come up after the visit

Related Links

The Congenital Heart Collaborative at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital features a nationally recognized team of heart specialists, including pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons and pediatric cardiologists. All of our specialists have extensive pediatric training and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of congenital heart conditions. Learn more about The Congenital Heart Collaborative at UH Rainbow.