A heart murmur is an extra or abnormal sound that happens when the heart pumps blood. Your child's healthcare provider can hear the murmur when listening to your child's heart with a stethoscope. Heart murmurs are common in children, and are most often a normal part of their growth. At some point, just about every child will have a heart murmur. A heart murmur usually doesn't mean that your child has a serious health issue. But in rare cases, a heart murmur can be a sign of a serious condition. That's why it's important for your child to see a cardiologist. A cardiologist can find out if your child's murmur is caused by a problem in his or her heart, or if it's nothing to worry about.
A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a congenital heart defect. This means that your baby is born with it. A VSD is an opening or hole in the dividing wall (septum) between the 2 lower chambers of the heart (right and left ventricles). VSDs are the most common type of congenital heart defect.
Bacterial endocarditis is an infection of the lining of the heart (endocardium), and the heart valves. It does not happen very often, but when it does, it can cause serious heart damage.
