Types of Heart Murmurs

The types of heart murmurs are based on their location, pitch, duration, frequency and volume. They are also graded on a scale of 1 to 6 with a grade 1 being very faint and a grade 6 being very loud.





Innocent (or normal) murmurs are caused by changes in blood flow due to calcium deposits on the valves, which make them stiff and narrow. These changes cause blood to flow backward through the valves. Infection of the inner heart lining and valves (endocarditis) can also cause murmurs, especially if bacteria spread through the blood from another part of the body such as the mouth.

gps panic alarm Congenital heart defects are structural problems in the heart that develop during pregnancy or at birth. gps tracker for dementia patients These can be heard by the doctor during a physical examination.

Diastolic murmurs are caused by a narrowing or stiffening of one or more of the heart valves during muscle relaxation between beats. These problems can include stenosis of the mitral or tricuspid valves, and regurgitation of the aortic or pulmonary valves.

Abnormal, or pathologic, heart murmurs are heard in infants and children with structural abnormalities of the heart such as patent ductus arteriosus (a patent ductus is a blood vessel that connects from one side of the heart to the other) or severe coarctation of the aorta (the large blood vessel that goes from your heart to your lungs). These abnormal structures create a turbulent flow of blood and produce a murmur.