Heart sounds

Alternative names:

abnormal heart sounds; chest sounds - murmurs; heart murmurs; heart sounds - abnormal

Home care:

Consult your health care provider.

Call your health care provider if:

(This finding is usually detected during examination by a health care provider.)

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

The medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.

Medical history questions documenting heart sounds in detail may include:

• Have other family members had murmurs or other abnormal heart sounds?
• Is there any family history of heart problems?
• What other symptoms are present (such as cyanosis, liver enlargement, distended neck veins, or lung sound changes - rales)?

Note: This finding is discovered by the health care provider, and the affected individual may or may not have been aware of its presence.

The physical examination will include careful attention to the heart sounds.

Diagnostic testing to determine the cause of a "new" murmur or other abnormal heart sound may include:

• ECG
• chest X-ray
• echocardiography

After seeing your health care provider:
You may want to add a diagnosis related to an abnormal heart sound to your personal medical record.