Abstract

Murmurs are turbulent sounds from blood flowing through the heart due to a physiological abnormality. The term murmur indicates an abnormal heart sound, and not a term describing a medical diagnosis. Auscultating a murmur is a vital assessment audible by even an inexpensive stethoscope. Identifying a murmur is an important nursing assessment of flow of blood, just as rales are important in recognizing fluid in the lungs, or tinkling bowel sounds alerting us to an ileus. Murmur identification matters for early identification of valvular heart disease and ultimately patient outcomes. This brief article shares study findings of a skill deficit in cardiac auscultation in nursing, patient populations at risk for heart murmurs, complications stemming from VHD, and proposed remedies for the skill deficit.