Systolic murmurs in pregnancy: value of echocardiographic assessment

A systolic murmur discovered in antenatal care is the most common reason for cardiological assessment during pregnancy. We have assessed the value of clinical and echocardiographic assessment in 50 consecutive patients who were referred to our cardiac clinic following the discovery of a cardiac murmur at an antenatal clinic. Most of the murmurs occurred at 10-12 weeks gestation; 46 subjects had cardiac murmurs confirmed at the cardiac clinic, of whom 16 gave a history suggestive of a previous cardiovascular disorder. Of the 16 patients, 13 had been found to have a murmur earlier in life which was thought to be of no clinical significance. Complications during pregnancy were infrequent. The most frequent murmur discovered was a soft midsystolic murmur heard with greatest intensity at the left sternal edge. The results of electrocardiography and echocardiography were not helpful in assisting with the diagnosis or substantially altering antenatal management in these patients. We do not feel that echocardiography has an important role in the assessment of systolic murmurs in pregnancy in the absence of other clinical or ECG abnormalities.     

Congenital vertebral-jugular fistula in an infant

Summary Pediatric cardiologists are often consulted to evaluate continuous murmurs in children. This case report describes a child with a congenital vertebral-jugular fistula who presented with torticollis and a continuous murmur. The differential diagnosis of continuous murmurs in this setting is discussed.     

彩色多普勒对房间隔缺损大小与肺动脉血流速度及杂音关系的对比研究

目的 :为了提高彩色多普勒对房间隔缺损 (ASD)的诊断率。方法 :研究 4 1例ASD患者房间隔缺损大小与肺动脉内血流速度及肺动脉瓣听诊区杂音之间的关系 ,并由手术证实。结果 :房间隔缺损大小与肺动脉内血流速度及杂音强弱呈正相关性 (r=0 .8,P <0 .0 1)。结论 :这一研究对ASD的诊断及鉴别诊断具有重要价值。     

先天性主动脉窦瘤X线平片表现（附四例报告）

本文报告４例先天性主动脉窦瘤，２例为单纯主动脉窦瘤穿破至右室，另１例为窦瘤伴主动脉二叶瓣合并主动脉瓣关闭不全，又１例与室间隔缺损及主动脉瓣关闭不全并存。文中提出：临床有心前区连续性杂音时，如有肺血增多与心脏增大程度不相称或伴左心衰时有肺血减少现象应考虑此症。     

Computer-Based Detection and Analysis of Heart Sound and Murmur

To develop a digital algorithm that detects first and second heart sounds, defines the systole and diastole, and characterises the systolic murmur. Heart sounds were recorded in 300 children with a cardiac murmur, using an electronic stethoscope. A Digital algorithm was developed for detection of first and second heart sounds. R-waves and T-waves in the electrocardiography were used as references for detection. The sound signal analysis was carried out using the short-time Fourier transform. The first heart sound detection rate, with reference to the R-wave, was 100% within 0.05–0.2R-R interval. The second heart sound detection rate between the end of the T-wave and the 0.6R-R interval was 97%. The systolic and diastolic phases of the cardiac cycle could be identified. Because of the overlap between heart sounds and murmur a systolic segment between the first and second heart sounds (20–70%) was selected for murmur analysis. The maximum intensity of the systolic murmur, its average frequency, and the mean spectral power were quantified. The frequency at the point with the highest sound intensity in the spectrum and its time from the first heart sound, the highest frequency, and frequency range were also determined. This method will serve as the foundation for computer-based detection of heart sounds and the characterisation of cardiac murmurs.     

发热、头痛、皮肤紫癜2例

该研究2例学龄期患儿于春季急性起病,表现为发热、头痛、呕吐、意识障碍,以及皮肤紫癜、脑膜刺激征阳性。外周血白细胞及中性粒细胞均增高、血红蛋白及血小板不同程度降低;CRP明显增高;脑脊液白细胞数增高达数百或上千、且以中性粒细胞为主,脑脊液蛋白增高,糖、氯化物正常。其中1例头颅CT示右侧小脑、双侧大脑多发血肿。骨髓细胞学提示感染性骨髓象,血培养、骨髓培养均提示金黄色葡萄球菌(MRSA)。患儿抗感染治疗过程中出现心脏杂音,并且血红蛋白及血小板进行性下降,心脏彩超发现主动脉瓣赘生物形成,确诊为感染性心内膜炎(IE)。根据药敏试验改为万古霉素抗感染治疗,1例6周后痊愈,1例放弃治疗死亡。儿童IE起病隐匿,临床表现多样,建议对于不明原因发热患儿要注意动态观察心脏杂音,及时行心脏彩超排除IE;以化脑为表现的患儿伴有难以用血小板减少解释的皮肤、黏膜出血时,也应警惕IE。     

How effectively can clinical examination pick up congenital heart disease at birth?

AIMS: To assess what proportion of all cardiac abnormality can be suspected at birth when all clinical examination before discharge is undertaken by a small stable team of clinicians. METHODS: A prospective audit of all the 14 572 births in a maternity unit only staffed by nurse practitioners between 1996 and 2003. RESULTS: 1.2% of all babies born in the unit were found to have a structural defect (as confirmed by echocardiography) within a year of birth. The number not suspected before discharge declined over time, and only 6% were first suspected after discharge in the last four years of this eight year study. Four potentially life threatening conditions initially went unsuspected in 1996-8, but none after that. A policy of referring every term baby with a murmur at 1 day of age that was still present at 7-10 days resulted in 4.2% requiring cardiac referral; 54% of these babies still had a murmur when assessed one to two weeks later, and 33% had a structural defect. Parents said in independent, retrospectively conducted, interviews that they found it confidence building to have any possible heart defect identified early and the cause of any murmur clearly and authoritatively explained. CONCLUSIONS: Effective screening requires experience and a clear, structured, referral pathway, but can work much better than most previous reports suggest. Whether staff bring a medical or nursing background to the task may well be of less importance.     

左心室假腱索与心脏杂音的关系探讨

目的:探讨小儿左心室假腱索的超声心动图特征及临床意义.方法:对小儿左心室假腱索62例行心脏超声心动图检查,并分析相关的临床表现.结果:本组左心室假腱索患儿早搏发生率64.0％,心脏杂音发生率58.1％,多为Ⅰ～Ⅱ级吹风样柔和杂音,引起Ⅰ～Ⅱ级杂音发生率53.2％.结论:左心室假腱索应首选超声心动图检查.左心室假腱索可引...     

脑梗死患者颈部动脉杂音与颈动脉狭窄的关系

目的 研究脑梗死患者颈部动脉杂音与颈动脉狭窄的关系.方法 对245例脑梗死患者进行颈部动脉听诊与血管造影检查.根据颈部动脉杂音部位分为锁骨上窝杂音、颈前弥漫杂音及颈前局限杂音,并根据杂音强度分为1～5级.对颈部动脉听诊及血管造影结果进行分析、比较.结果 听诊发现本组145例(59.2％)患者有颈部动脉杂音,其中锁骨上窝杂音62例、颈前弥漫杂音44例、颈前局限杂音39例,100例患者(40.8％)无杂音;1 ～5级杂音分别有28例、26例39例、34例及18例.有颈部动脉杂音的患者颈动脉狭窄的发生率(64.1％,93例)显著高于无杂音患者(49％,49例)(P＜0.05).颈前局限杂音患者颈动脉狭窄及重度狭窄的发生率显著高于锁骨上窝杂音及颈前弥漫杂音杂音患者(均P＜0.01).颈部动脉杂音分级越高,颈动脉重度狭窄率越高(P＜0.05).结论 有颈部动脉杂音的脑梗死患者颈动脉狭窄的发生率高,尤以颈前局限性杂音患者显著;杂音强度与颈动脉狭窄的程度有关.     

Right ventricular outflow obstruction secondary to post-infarction aneurysm: A possible new syndrome

Summary Two patients with extensive anterior myocardial infarction developed a hitherto unreported type of right ventricular outflow tract obstruction. A 71-year-old woman, who had had an acute infarction 10 years before, was admitted for sustained ventricular tachycardia. A loud ejection murmur was heard in the mid-precordium. The echocardiogram and left ventriculogram showed a septal aneurysm, with a systolic gradient of 21 mmHg between the right ventricular outflow tract and apex. The ejection murmur was detected in the outflow tract by intracardiac phonocardiography. The second patient was a 60-year-old man who had had an acute infarction at age 47. He was also referred because of ventricular tachycardia, and his clinical situation was almost the same as that of the first case. Our search of the literature failed to disclose any similar case with a loud ejection murmur confirmed by intracardiac phonocardiography to be due to an obstructive septal aneurysm.