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Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses
Published on: January 23, 2017
[Assessment of heart murmurs in childhood]
1Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM), São Paulo, SP, Brazil. rkobinger@uol.com.br
Insights
Pediatricians can accurately diagnose innocent heart murmurs in children through careful history taking and physical exams. This clinical skill is vital for identifying potential cardiovascular diseases early.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Pediatric Cardiology
Context:
- Heart murmurs in children are a common clinical challenge for pediatricians.
- Accurate evaluation is crucial for appropriate patient management.
Purpose:
- To review the clinical and laboratory evaluation of pediatric heart murmurs.
- To equip pediatricians with the skills to differentiate innocent from pathological murmurs.
Summary:
- Diagnosis of innocent heart murmurs is primarily clinical, relying on detailed patient history and thorough physical examination.
- Pediatricians must be adept at distinguishing innocent murmurs from those indicative of underlying cardiovascular conditions.
Impact:
- Empowers pediatricians as the first point of contact for diagnosing heart murmurs in children.
- Facilitates early identification of serious cardiac conditions, improving patient outcomes.
Objective:
To discuss clinical and laboratorial evaluation of heart murmurs in children, an important problem faced by pediatricians in their practice.
Sources:
This review was based on a critical analysis of the current literature, as well as pediatrics and pediatric cardiology textbooks, which were found to be an important source of information on the subject.
Summary Of The Findings:
It is important for pediatricians to know how to obtain precise information regarding the patient's medical history and to perform extensive physical examination of a child with heart murmur. The diagnosis of innocent heart murmur is essentially clinical and it can help the pediatrician to identify situations which are associated with cardiovascular diseases.
Conclusions:
The pediatrician is usually the first physician to see a child with heart murmur and he should be able to distinguish between innocent and pathologic heart murmurs.
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