Heart Murmurs. Neonatal Services. Information for Parents. University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

Transcription

1 Heart Murmurs Neonatal Services Information for Parents University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

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3 Introduction During a routine examination your baby was noted to have a heart murmur. This leaflet explains very briefly about murmurs in simple terms. If you have any questions the doctor examining your baby will be able to give you a full explanation. What is a murmur? A heart murmur is an extra sound heard when listening to the heart with a stethoscope. Not all murmurs are the same - some are louder than others and may be heard over different parts of the heart. What causes heart murmurs? Murmurs can be caused by a variety of things. It is quite common to hear murmurs in newborn babies. Murmurs heard in the first 48 hours of life are usually due to the fact that the baby hasn't quite got used to life outside the womb. These murmurs usually disappear without treatment. Some murmurs are caused by an abnormality within the heart. This could be a hole between two of the chambers of the heart or could be due to a problem with the valves or blood vessels within the heart. 3

4 Is it serious? Maybe not, but it depends on the cause of the murmur. Most murmurs are not serious and a lot disappear on their own. With experience, doctors get to know which murmurs are harmless and which are important enough to need further investigation. The paediatrician will explain if any investigations are required. Will my baby become ill? Probably not, but again this depends on the cause of the murmur. Some babies have no symptoms at all yet others have symptoms from early on. What should I look out for? Babies with significant heart problems can be very slow to feed, get tired when feeding or become sweaty with feeds. They tend to put on weight slowly. Other symptoms include shortness of breath and becoming very pale or bluish in colour. If you have been told that your baby has a heart murmur please let your doctor or midwife know if your baby develops any of these symptoms. 4

5 What tests will my baby have? If a murmur is detected soon after birth our doctors will get a more senior doctor to examine your baby. One of two things will happen next: 1. If your baby is well and they feel that the murmur is not significant you will be allowed home to be seen in one of our baby clinics in about six weeks. Should your baby s condition change after discharge you should seek medical help before your clinic appointment. When you attend clinic the heart murmur may have disappeared, in which case the doctor will not need to see your baby again. If, however, the murmur is still present we will arrange for your baby to be seen by a paediatric cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital for a scan of the heart. Do not panic, this does not mean we think your baby has a serious heart condition. In the vast majority of cases babies referred from our clinics do not have heart conditions, but have innocent murmurs. A few babies, however, do have heart disease and it is clearly important to identify these, even if the baby has no symptoms at all. 5

6 What tests will my baby have? 2. If on reviewing your baby the senior doctor thinks that your baby has a significant murmur your baby will undergo a number of tests, usually on the neonatal unit. Your baby will have: an electrical recording of the heart of the heart (ECG) an oxygen saturation recording (a painless method of measuring oxygen in the blood) blood pressure measurements in all four limbs an echocardiogram (scan) of the heart. This will either be done by one of our doctors or by a visiting heart specialist from Glenfield. 6

7 Further Treatment If your baby requires treatment or further investigation, this will be explained to you at the time and follow-up will be at Glenfield Hospital. 7

8 If you would like this information in another language or format, please contact the Service Equality Manager on Haddaad rabto warqadan oo turjuman oo ku duuban cajalad ama qoraal ah fadlan la xiriir, Maamulaha Adeegga Sinaanta Eĝer bu broşürün (kitapçıĝın) yazılı veya kasetli açıklamasını isterseniz lütfen servis müdürüne telefonundan ulaşabilirsiniz. (Hull1/08)27743KR Date produced: January 2008 WPS