A heart murmur is a common condition that can affect nearly three out of four children at any point during their childhood. While this thought may be frightening for parents, most heart murmurs are harmless and do not signal a problem. However, more severe heart murmurs could signal an underlying heart condition and may require treatment. At WVU Medicine Children’s, a team of pediatric cardiac specialists provides advanced, compassionate care to help treat children with these conditions.

A heart murmur is a whispering or whooshing sound heard in addition to a normal heartbeat that indicates blood flow. The intensity of the sound and when it occurs during the heartbeat determines the severity of the heart murmur. Many heart murmurs go away on their own as a child grows, but some can last into adulthood. If a child has a severe heart murmur, or the murmur is accompanied by failure to thrive or other symptoms, there may be a structural heart problem that needs addressed.

WVU Medicine Children’s Heart Center is home to the state’s most comprehensive team of leading heart specialists who offer expert care for infants, children, teens, and continued care into adulthood. The Heart Center provides less invasive treatment options, access to clinical research, and specialized support for advanced and serious conditions, including the following subspeciality programs: adult congenital heart disease care, cardiac catheterization, cardiac intensive care, cardiology, comprehensive cardiac diagnostics and testing, electrophysiology, heart surgery, pacemaker clinic, and more.

“When you hear that your baby has a heart murmur, please remain calm,” Jai Udassi, M.D., director of the WVU Medicine Children’s Heart Center, said. “It could be benign, it could be pathologic or problematic, but if the baby is doing well, we have time. We have ways to fix it, repair it, and treat it.”

Dr. Udassi talks about how common heart murmurs are in children, including what causes them, how they are diagnosed, and when to be concerned in Heart Murmurs: What’s That Sound?, a recent episode of the Live Healthy WV podcast. He also discusses how heart murmurs are treated and reviews the expert care provided by the WVU Medicine Children’s pediatric heart team.

To learn more about WVU Medicine Children’s, visit WVUKids.org.