Will someone please talk to me like I am three years old?!
Question: What does a grade 3/6 systolic ejection murmur mean? If it reaches higher does this mean something worse or better?
Answers: What does a grade 3/6 systolic ejection murmur mean? If it reaches higher does this mean something worse or better?
It basically is how the physician has "graded" the loudness of the murmur. The higher the number, the louder it is. It is subjective, so 2/6 to one doctor, might be considered 3/6 to another. It's just an estimate of how "leaky" a valve might be. As mentioned above, a murmur that is 6/6 would be loud enough to hear without a stethoscope. In contrast, a 1/6 is so difficult to hear that some may not even hear it at all. (I can't hear a 1/6, and I listen to hearts every day.)
Make a list of questions so that the next time you take her to the doc, you can have them ready. It's tough to remember everything you want to know right there!
Hi Jay,
It's confusing & scary for anyone. The below link is pretty clear. Prognosis depends on several variables. You need to ask your cardiologist for his/her opinion. Many leaky valves never worsen ,& need intervention. Good Luck.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_murmu...
This basically means you have a heart murmur that is easily heard when listening for it with a stethoscope. 6/6 is the worst and means the murmur sound can be hurd without a stethoscope easily. The murmur part means one of your heart valves does not completely close off allowing blood in the heart to leak back into the previous location, which it should not do. The valve should close completely and force all blood to the next location in the heart. This back flow of blood means it makes your heart work harder to make blood go through your heart b/c it does not completely flow thru as norm. If it gets severe and too much blood is leaking back in the heart, you may require valve replacement to fix this. The valve leakage means you do not get as much blood flow pumped out of your heart and thru your body as quickly as norm b/c of this leakage. If the murmur worsened, you would not receive sufficient blood flow of oxygenated blood out of the heart. Also, you can get heart enlargement from the blood backup. Heart palpitations will occur if this begins to be bad. Meaning, your heart will pound and race making you feel weak and faint.
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there, I've talked to you as if you were 3
Do you have a cardiologist or a cardiothoracic surgeon checking on your child? If you feel you are beng kept in the dark, you probably are. Cardiologists are like psychologists and are limited in their capabilities and knowledge. Please get a referral to a cardothoracic surgeon and soon, a change from a 2/6 to a 3/6 in such a short time means there's a definate developmental problem with your baby's heart.
I've found a few links to keep you busy until you can get some more professional help. In my humble opinion, a cardiothoracic surgeon is much better than a cardiologist.
Oh! BTW, check on those baby monitors that emit an alarm when your baby has an issue. You'll need it so that you can rest without bouncing every hour out of bed to check up on the little one. I'm so sorry, your whole family must be a wreck right now, just hang in there. Sometimes these things can be outgrown, especialy since your baby is so young.