Seattle Health Blog

In most cases, your doctor may hear heart murmur using a stethoscope to listen to your heart (a technique called “cardiac auscultation”). Heart murmurs vary according to body position and breathing, making it possible to review the patient standing, squatting and lying and being asked to breathe deeply or hold your breath while the doctor listens to your heart.

To determine if the murmur is functional or if due to other heart problems, your doctor may also order the following tests:

- A chest x-ray to determine if the heart is enlarged.
- An electrocardiogram (ECG) to determine if there are any irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) or if the heart is enlarged.
- An echocardiogram to examine the functioning of the valve, the wall motion of the heart and heart size.
- A study with a special medicine called “amyl nitrate” used to define certain heart murmurs. The doctor will ask you to inhale the drug, which momentarily alters blood pressure and heart rate.