What occurs in a heart murmur?

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Multiple Choice

What occurs in a heart murmur?

Heart murmurs arise when blood flow through the heart becomes turbulent rather than smooth. This turbulence occurs when valves are narrowed or leaky, sending a high-velocity jet that breaks into eddies and vibrations, producing an audible sound—often described as gurgling or a whoosh. Normal laminar flow moves in orderly layers and is typically quiet, so it doesn’t generate a murmur. Blood clots forming in the heart are a separate issue (thrombi) and don’t create the characteristic sounds of a murmur, and a truly silent murmur wouldn’t fit the usual sense of murmurs, since they are defined by an audible turbulent flow.

Heart murmurs arise when blood flow through the heart becomes turbulent rather than smooth. This turbulence occurs when valves are narrowed or leaky, sending a high-velocity jet that breaks into eddies and vibrations, producing an audible sound—often described as gurgling or a whoosh. Normal laminar flow moves in orderly layers and is typically quiet, so it doesn’t generate a murmur. Blood clots forming in the heart are a separate issue (thrombi) and don’t create the characteristic sounds of a murmur, and a truly silent murmur wouldn’t fit the usual sense of murmurs, since they are defined by an audible turbulent flow.

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