Overview
This lecture explains how to assess heart murmurs, their types, and how to differentiate between functional (innocent) and pathological murmurs.
Heart Murmur Assessment
- After listening for heart sounds, check for the presence of any murmurs.
- Murmurs arise from either normal blood flow through abnormal heart walls or abnormal blood flow through normal walls.
Types of Murmurs
- Murmurs can be classified as organic, flow murmurs, innocent, or functional murmurs.
- Functional (innocent) murmurs are not caused by structural heart disease.
Characteristics of Functional (Innocent) Murmurs
- Functional murmurs are typically short and soft.
- They are systolic and usually grade 1 or 2 in intensity.
- S1 (first heart sound) and S2 (second heart sound) are normal with functional murmurs.
- These murmurs do not radiate to other areas.
- Cardiac impulse remains normal.
- There is no evidence of hemodynamic abnormalities in functional murmurs.
Pathological Murmurs
- Pathological murmurs are always associated with underlying heart disease.
- All diastolic murmurs and organic murmurs are considered pathological.
- Pathological murmurs often have distinct and recognizable sounds.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Murmur — An abnormal heart sound caused by turbulent blood flow.
- Functional (Innocent) Murmur — A harmless murmur with no structural heart defect.
- Pathological Murmur — A murmur indicating underlying heart disease.
- Systolic Murmur — Occurs during heart muscle contraction.
- S1 / S2 — First and second heart sounds, representing valve closures.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Practice distinguishing between functional and pathological murmurs by auscultation.
- Review the characteristics of different types of murmurs.