Final answer:
Heart murmurs are abnormal sounds produced by turbulent blood flow due to valve defects in the heart, graded on a scale from 1 to 6 according to their severity. They can be detected using a stethoscope, phonocardiograms, or ultrasound imaging.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term murmurs describes blowing or whooshing sounds created by changes in blood flow through the heart or abnormalities in valve closure. These sounds arise from turbulent flow around damaged or incompletely closed heart valves and can indicate various heart conditions, including valve prolapse, regurgitation, or the presence of a prolapsed valve. Murmurs are graded on a scale of 1 to 6, with a grade of 1 being the most difficult to detect and considered the least serious, while a grade of 6 represents the most severe cases. Diagnostically, heart murmurs can be observed using a stethoscope, but for a more detailed investigation, tools like phonocardiograms, auscultograms, and advanced imaging techniques such as ultrasound may be employed. Specifically, ultrasound methods similar to Doppler-shift radar can be used to detect these turbulent blood flow patterns caused by heart murmurs.