Lake Champlain Cardiology Associates
52 Tom Miller Rd., Plattsburgh, NY 12901  (518) 563-2404
www.lccahearts.com

Heart Murmurs

Many of you may have been told you or a relative has a heart murmur. A murmur is a sound or noise that your health care provider may hear when listening to your heart with a stethoscope during a physical exam. Some murmurs indicate the presence of a potentially serious heart problem, and need to be evaluated further by a cardiologist. Fortunately, the majority of heart murmurs are benign – this means that there is nothing wrong with the heart. Many children and pregnant women have benign murmurs. A fever or low blood count (anemia) can also cause a murmur even though there may be nothing wrong with the heart. Sometimes even anxiety can cause a heart murmur. Some murmurs may be too quiet to hear in a noisy room (such as a busy emergency room), or they may be quiet enough that only an experienced observer can hear it. If your doctor is concerned that a murmur may be serious, an Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) is an easy and safe way to evaluate this further.

Echocardiograms can be performed at our offi ce, at CVPH, and at other facilities in the North Country. If you need an echocardiogram ask you provider if the echo will be reviewed by a Board Certified cardiologist.