Why is heart murmur dangerous

If other health conditions unrelated to heart disease exist, such as anemia or hyperthyroidism, then treating them should eliminate the heart murmur. Abnormal congenital heart murmurs may be treated with medicines or surgery. If the cause is heart valve disease, treatment may vary, depending on the severity. Patients are hopeful that it can be fixed with medicines alone, and that may not always be the case, Maureen points out.

If medicine is not successful, then the next step may be surgery to repair or replace a faulty valve. Every case is different and it is important to make sure you are comfortable with the care that you are receiving and that your questions are being answered. Consulting a physician is your best bet for determining if you have a murmur and how serious it is.

Murmurs should be paid attention to. They signal that there is a disruption in blood flow and knowing the cause is important even if it turns out to be innocent. Cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons are doctors who specialize in treating heart valve diseases.

These doctors can recognize and diagnose valve diseases that may be missed by other doctors. Not all heart murmurs need to be treated with surgery. Some abnormal heart murmurs can be managed with medication. Some common medications used to treat heart murmurs include the following:. If something is wrong with your heart—for example, if you have a hole in your heart or one of your heart valves needs to be replaced—then you may need surgery.

Surgeries for heart murmurs often include valve repair and valve replacement. If you do need surgery, your cardiothoracic surgeon will try to make sure your surgery is as minimally invasive as possible. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement also known as TAVR or TAVI is also a good treatment option for patients who can't have surgery, or for patients who want a less invasive option than open heart surgery.

The MitraClip is a tiny device about the size of a dime that treats mitral regurgitation. The MitraClip pinches your mitral valve so it can close more fully.

Closing your mitral valve stops blood from leaking backwards. Instead, your doctor will insert your MitraClip through a thin tube catheter that runs through your leg and into your heart. At University of Utah Health, a heart team that includes a cardiologist and a cardiothoracic surgeon will evaluate your heart murmur.

Your heart team will examine your heart and rule out any serious, undiagnosed heart conditions that may need treatment. Schedule an appointment with a heart specialist. Recent studies have shown that people in the U.

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Cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Grade 1 is very soft, whereas grade 6 is very loud. If a murmur is found, the doctor may refer a child to a pediatric cardiologist for further evaluation. The most common type of heart murmur is called functional or innocent. An innocent heart murmur is the sound of blood moving through a normal, healthy heart in a normal way.

Just as you might hear air moving through an air duct or water flowing through a pipe, doctors can hear blood moving through the heart even when there's no heart problem. An innocent heart murmur can come and go throughout childhood. Kids with these murmurs don't need a special diet, restriction of activities, or any other special treatment. Those old enough to understand that they have a heart murmur should be reassured that they aren't any different from other kids.

Some murmurs can indicate a problem with the heart. In these cases, doctors will have a child see a pediatric cardiologist. The cardiologist will order tests such as:. About 1 out of every babies is born with a structural heart problem, or congenital heart defect. These babies may show signs of the defect as early as the first few days of life or not until later in childhood.

Some kids won't have any symptoms beyond a heart murmur, while others will such signs as:. Nishimura RA, et al. Heart valve disease. Medications for heart valve symptoms. Options for heart valve repair. Options for heart valve replacement. Options and considerations for heart valve surgery.

Sellke FW, et al. Atlas of Cardiac Surgical Techniques. Yoon SA, et al. Congenital heart disease diagnosed with echocardiogram in newborns with asymptomatic cardiac murmurs: A systematic review. BMC Pediatrics. Gaasch WH, et al. Choice of prosthetic heart valve for surgical aortic or mitral valve replacement. Naish J, et al. The cardiovascular system. In: Medical Sciences. Mankad R expert opinion.