ABSTRACT
Heart murmurs are commonly heard during childhood particularly when the child is pyrexial and tachycardic. Most are innocent flow murmurs and the child should be re-examined when well to ensure that the murmur resolves. If the murmur persists, features such as a loud, long, or diastolic murmur, a thrill, or abnormal heart sounds suggest underlying congenital heart disease (CHD). A murmur that is soft, short, systolic, and varies with the position of the child is likely to be innocent. A venous hum is a continuous murmur best heard in the supraclavicular region which varies with the position of the child.
