Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 21, 2026

In utero Measurement of Heart Rate in Mouse by Noninvasive M-mode Echocardiography
Published on: November 22, 2013
Accidental Heart Murmurs
1Faculty of Medicine, Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Insights
Accidental heart murmurs are common in children and have distinct characteristics, requiring minimal follow-up. Auscultation is key to differentiating these innocent murmurs from pathological ones.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Cardiac Auscultation
Background:
- Accidental (innocent) murmurs occur in healthy hearts and possess defined clinical traits.
- These murmurs are asymptomatic and necessitate minimal medical follow-up.
Purpose of the Study:
- Highlight the importance of cardiac auscultation in distinguishing heart murmurs.
- Detail the clinical characteristics of accidental heart murmurs.
Main Methods:
- This article is a literature review.
- Focuses on accidental heart murmurs within pediatric cardiology.
Main Results:
- Common accidental murmurs include Stills murmur, pulmonary ejection murmur, venous hum, and carotid bruit.
- These murmurs are frequently detected in children and adolescents.
Conclusions:
- Accidental heart murmurs are found in over 50% of children, peaking between 3-6 and 8-12 years.
- They are a frequent cause of unnecessary parental anxiety and cardiac referrals.
Introduction:
Accidental murmurs occur in anatomically and physiologically normal heart. Accidental (innocent) murmurs have their own clearly defined clinical characteristics (asymptomatic, they require minimal follow-up care).
Aim:
To point out the significance of auscultation of the heart in the differentiation of heart murmurs and show clinical characteristics of accidental heart murmurs.
Material And Methods:
Article presents review of literature which deals with the issue of accidental heart murmurs in the pediatric cardiology.
Results:
In the group of accidental murmurs we include classic vibratory parasternal-precordial Stills murmur, pulmonary ejection murmur, the systolic murmur of pulmonary flow in neonates, venous hum, carotid bruit, Potaine murmur, benign cephalic murmur and mammary souffle.
Conclusion:
Accidental heart murmurs are revealed by auscultation in over 50% of children and youth, with a peak occurrence between 3-6 years or 8-12 years of life. Reducing the frequency of murmurs in the later period can be related to poor conduction of the murmur, although the disappearance of murmur in principle is not expected. It is the most common reason of cardiac treatment of the child, and is a common cause of unreasonable concern of parents.
Related Concept Videos
Heart Sounds
Auscultation is the process of listening to these internal body sounds using a stethoscope. The heart produces four types of sounds, but only two—S1 and S2—can usually be heard with a stethoscope.
S1, also known as the "lub" sound, is caused by the closure of atrioventricular (A-V)...
Cardiovascular System Abnormal Findings II: Auscultation
Abnormal Heart Sounds
Gallops:
Aortic Regurgitation II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Tests
Mitral Regurgitation II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Tests
Mitral Regurgitation I: Introduction
Anatomy of the Heart

