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How to auscultate for heart sounds in infants and children
Emily Westley1, Catherine Renwick1, Emily Ellis2
1cardio-respiratory and intensive care directorate, Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, England.
Insights
This guide enhances pediatric nurses' skills in cardiac auscultation for children aged 0-16. It emphasizes structured assessment, key auscultation areas, and age-specific considerations for accurate heart sound evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Cardiology
Background:
- Cardiac auscultation is a crucial skill for pediatric nurses.
- Accurate assessment of heart sounds in children is vital for early detection of cardiac abnormalities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an introductory guide for pediatric nurses on performing cardiac auscultation in infants and children (0-16 years).
- To enhance nurses' knowledge and confidence in pediatric cardiac auscultation.
- To serve as a supplementary resource for practical, supervised training.
Main Methods:
- The article outlines a structured approach to cardiac auscultation.
- It details the importance of examining all four main heart valve areas.
- It highlights differences in auscultation techniques for pediatric patients compared to adults, including heart rate variations and managing distressed children.
Main Results:
- Cardiac auscultation is presented as an integral part of a comprehensive cardiac assessment.
- The guide emphasizes listening for normal heart sounds and identifying abnormal sounds.
- Key pediatric-specific considerations, such as managing high heart rates and using distraction techniques, are discussed.
Conclusions:
- This article aims to improve pediatric nurses' competence in cardiac auscultation.
- It encourages nurses to integrate this knowledge into their practice and seek further training.
- Effective cardiac auscultation requires understanding age-specific nuances and a systematic approach.
Rationale And Key Points:
This article provides an introduction to performing cardiac auscultation in infants and children aged 0-16 years, with the aim of improving children's nurses' knowledge and confidence in this procedure. Nurses wishing to develop competence in cardiac auscultation can use this article as a guide to complement supervised practical experience; however, it is not intended to determine an individual's competence. • Cardiac auscultation is a component of a structured cardiac assessment rather than a standalone tool. • It is important to auscultate all four main heart valve areas, listening for normal heart sounds and any additional sounds. • Several differences should be considered when auscultating heart sounds in infants and children compared with adults, including heart rate ranges and the potential need to use distraction techniques for those who are distressed. REFLECTIVE ACTIVITY: 'How to' articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of: • How you think this article might help improve your practice when undertaking cardiac auscultation in infants and children. • How you could use this information to develop your own knowledge and skills before educating others on the appropriate technique and evidence base behind auscultating heart sounds in infants and children.
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