Evaluation of the child with a heart murmur: more than easy listening…

Cardiac murmurs in children are common. In most cases it will represent an innocent or functional murmur, without clinical consequences; however occasionally it may be associated with the presence of a congenital heart defect. In general practice, medical professionals are likely to encounter children with a heart murmurs and are then faced with the question whether the presence of such murmur affects further management.

It has been suggested that in the current era of advanced technology and diagnostic modalities, cardiac auscultation skills among medical students as well as among clinicians is declining. Students often find it difficult to determine the timing and characterization of the heart sounds and murmurs and to place these parameters in a clinical context.

This workshop will offer a structural approach to the clinical evaluation of a heart murmur in childhood, which includes not only cardiac auscultation but also epidemiological data, clinical history and physical examination. It will be a highly interactive workshop, with individual training of practical auscultation skills using the stethoscope and a cardiac heart sound simulator.

Prof dr R.M.F. Berger
Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology
Beatrix Children’s Hospital
University Medical Center Groningen