heart murmurs (grading)
Last reviewed 01/2018
Murmurs are recorded in six gradations:
- 1/6 murmur is just audible by an expert in optimal conditions
- 2/6 is quiet
- 3/6 is moderately loud
- 4/6 is markedly loud } are accompanied by
- 5/6 is very loud } a thrill
- 6/6 is audible without a stethoscope
The intensity of a murmur does not indicate the severity of a valve defect. The sound produced by a valve defect depends as much on flow as on valve aperture.