Cardiac Murmurs: Classification and Clinical Approach

A murmur is described in terms of:

• Where it is maximally heard
• Where it radiates to
• When in the cardiac cycle it comes: systolic, diastolic or continuous
• The pitch: high, low or medium
• The intensity: intensity gives an indication of severity: systolic murmurs of Grade 3 or more are usually haemodynamically significant

Clinical classification of systolic murmurs

ED-based approach to the evaluation of a murmur