Heart Murmurs

My doctor just told me that my child has a heart murmur. What is a heart murmur?

When your family doctor or pediatrician checks your child, he or she listens to the heart. The doctor may then detect an abnormal sound coming from the heart, and call it a heart murmur. There are several different causes for heart murmurs in children. Problems with heart valves or holes in the heart may cause heart murmurs. Children often have heart murmurs even without any problem with the heart. Such murmurs are called innocent murmurs.

Are all murmurs dangerous?

Unless the murmur is due to a significant problem with the heart, the murmur is not really dangerous. Innocent heart murmurs are never dangerous.

Will my child "outgrow" the murmur?

Certain murmurs do disappear as the child grows up. Innocent murmurs often disappear in older children. Murmurs due to 'holes' inside the heart may also disappear if the holes close as the child grows up.

Does my child need to see a specialist?

Your family doctor or pediatrician will help you make this decision. If your doctor feels that the child needs to be checked out for the presence of a significant heart condition, then your doctor can help you arrange an appointment with a pediatric cardiologist.

How will the pediatric cardiologist determine if the murmur is innocent?

In addition to examining and listening to the child carefully, the pediatric cardiologist may obtain additional tests such as an electrocardiogram, chest X-ray or an echocardiogram to determine the cause of the murmur.

My son has a heart murmur. Does he need antibiotics when he visits the dentist?

If your doctor has told you that your child's murmur is an innocent murmur, he does not need antibiotics before dental work. If he does have a heart condition that has caused the murmur, a dose of antibiotics is generally necessary (but, not always necessary) before any dental work or surgery.