Heart murmur

Heart murmur, abnormal sound heard on listening with a stethoscope to the chest over the heart. Normally there are 2 major heart sounds due to valve closure, separated by silence. Murmurs can arise in heart valve disease, with narrowing (stenosis) or leakage (incompetence). Holes between the heart's chambers, valve roughening, and high flow of blood also cause murmurs. Most murmurs are completely harmless.

See also: Heart.