Final answer:
Heart murmurs are signs of potential cardiac issues and are identified by turbulent blood flow in the heart, detectable during auscultation. They are graded on a severity scale and further assessed using electronic stethoscopes or ultrasound.
Step-by-step explanation:
Heart murmurs are unusual sounds created by turbulent blood flow in the heart, which may signal the presence of significant cardiac disease. These murmurs are often detected during auscultation with a stethoscope and can be signs of abnormal conditions such as valve insufficiencies or obstructions. Murmurs are graded on a 1 to 6 scale, with 6 being the most severe. Auscultation techniques, like asking a patient to breathe deeply, may amplify these murmurs. Advanced tools like phonocardiograms and auscultograms utilize specialized electronic stethoscopes for recording heart sounds, facilitating diagnosis.
Normal hearts typically produce two sounds, known as S₁ and S₂, corresponding to the closing of the heart's valves. Additional heart sounds, like S3 or S4, may be indicative of heart conditions such as congestive heart failure or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Other diagnostic methods for identifying heart murmurs include ultrasound, which can detect the turbulent blood flow associated with these murmurs.