I just found out my 2 year old has a heart murmur. What can I expect in the near future?

Question

I just took my 2 year old son for his checkup and the doctor said he may have a heart murmur. I am taking him for tests right away. I am wondering if anyone out there can fill me in on what the tests are like , what are the different outcomes of the tests , and what they do for each outcome. Im scared and I dont want any surprizes.

Answer 1

First of all a heart murmur is simply an extra sound that the doctor hears when he listens to the chest with his stethoscope. Most heart murmurs are innocent sounds and mean absolutely nothing. Occasionally, (about 1 out of 1000) a heart murmur can be because there is a valve in the heart that is either leaking or stiff or there can be a heart murmur because there is a hole between the heart chambers that isn't supposed to be there. For a two year old the easiest way to find out if this is an innocent murmur or not is to have a test called an echocardiogram. An echocardiogram is simply an ultrasound of the heart. It is a harmless pain free test that enables one to visualize all the heart valves, heart chambers, heart muscle and measure the blood flow through the heart chambers and valves. It can take anywhere from a half hour to one hour to perform. Occasionally two year olds have a hard time sitting still for the test so sedation may be a possibility. It is important to have the echocardiogram done at a lab that does a lot of kids as they have the experience to rule out congenital heart defects plus they would be used to imaging and dealing with scared children. Again, most murmurs, 99%, are innocent and do not mean there is a heart problem. If your child has normal exercise tolerance, is growing and gaining weight normally and has never been blue the odds are high that the murmur is innocent or if there is a problem it is most likely a minor one and unlikely that it would be a serious life threatening one. Hope that helps.

Answer 2

It's the right thing to do the tests. I can't tell you all the possible outcomes but I can tell you that I've had a heart murmur pretty much all my life and it has never caused me even the slightest problem. So that is one possible outcome.

It was first diagnosed when I was in my teens and I just turned 50. The most interesting thing about it has been that I usually have to tell doctors that it's there because it's really hard for them to detect.

Here's what they say on the attached link to WebMD: "Learning that you have or your child has a heart murmur can be scary. However, heart murmurs are quite common and often are harmless. "

Your baby will probably be just fine. Good luck!

Answer 3

Couldn't tell you much about the tests they do these days, but I can tell you I've lived with a heart murmur for all these years. They're actually more common than you'd think. No meds, no special diet . . . just living life to the fullest! But the doctor is making sure he's covering all the bases and wants to make sure your son's heart murmur isn't hiding a more serious condition that would require surgery. Hearing a heart murmur through the stethoscope is one thing, but it's best for a doctor to run a few tests so he can make a definite diagnosis.

Answer 4

You wouldn't believe the people who have murmurs and don't even know about it! They are fairly common and benign most of the time. There are instanceses where it's related to other problems. I'm 23 and discovered last year two of my valves are bad causing a murmer. I will have to be monitored for decreased valve function down the road but for now, I'm feeling ok. Also, sometimes, people have symptoms be it fatigue, leg weakness, generalized discomfort, palpitations ext.. But these most of the time come and go. Who hasn't ever felt tired?! It's hard to determine just from symptoms! You should probably go with an echocardiagram. That measures the blood flow through the valves of the heart and can tell you the degree! Good luck!

Answer 5

Diagnostic tests depend on the specific condition (ECG + Echocardiography). Treatment depends on the specific condition.
Congenital heart defects take the form of holes between the chambers, blockages in the pathways from the heart to the lungs or the body, or abnormal connections between the chambers and vessels of the heart.
Holes in the heart can occur in the upper chambers - atrial septal defects - or lower chambers - ventricular septal defects. Or they can exist between all four chambers - atrioventricular septal defects.
Where the hole occurs in the great artery, the defect is called a patent arterial duct.
The holes are part of the circulation system in the foetus but should close up after birth.
More complex conditions include Tetralogy of Fallot, which is one cause of the condition cyanosis, commonly known as "blue babies".
In Tetralogy of Fallot, the baby has a large hole in the heart, allowing blood to pass from the right ventricle to the left without going through the lungs. There is a narrowing at or just below the pulmonary valve, the right ventricle is more muscular than normal and the aorta lies directly over the hole - the ventricular septal defect.
Most congenital heart diseases require medications and surgery to repair the defect. If surgery is done, the child has to stay in the intensive care unit for one week and in the hospital for about two weeks.
Please see the web pages for more details on Congenital heart disease, ECG and Echocardiography.

Answer 6

Webmd Heart Murmur

Answer 7

The murmur may be functional if baby is anemic or any other condition leading to hyperdynamic circulation But usually a murmur in 2 yr old may suggest some form of congenital heart disease. They r cynotic ( if child turs blue ) or acynotic. Acynotic may be VSD a ventricular septal defect or PDA patent ductus arteriosus. VSD may be asmall opening & may close over the years. PDA needs closure of the connecting vessle . Cynotic is usually fallots tetrology . The final dignosis is reached after a ECG & 2 or three dimensional echo wih color doppler .Take child to acardiac speclist .Echo is a simple non invasive outdoor procedure like sonography. If needed they might sedete the child for time being.

Answer 8

Only a Dr. can answer your question, but I've had a heart murmur all my life and I'm old enough to be Noah's grandfather.

None the less you did the right thing and you'll just have to follow the Dr.'s instructions.

If you feel a need to question the Dr.'s decision, we must remember it's your child's life and taking that extra step (if you need to take it) might make a lot of difference.
.
.

Answer 9

I've had a heart murmer all my life and am just fine....I suppose it's a matter of what it's caused from....mine is mitral valve prolapse. The only thing I have to do is take an antibiotic before going to the dentist.

The tests shouldn't be much more than external ultrasounds, echocardiograms etc. Nothing painful for your son. Think positive - there are thousands of us out here with murmers.

Answer 10

So I take it the Doctor didn't tell you what to expect?

Did he tell you to do all these test?

Sometimes they aren't necessary, I had a heart murmur, and they sometimes will go away, there isn't anything to get scared about, they are common. You can have it checked just to be safe, but try not to worry and just pray about it.