Examination for cardiac malformations at six weeks of age

Aim-To attempt to define the prevalence and significance of murmurs detecte d on routine clinical examination at six to eight weeks. Methods-A retrospective review of the results of routine clinical examinati on of a cohort of 6 to 8 week old babies resident in Newcastle upon Tyne, w as carried out in two 12 month periods. All cardiac defects diagnosed in in fancy in the same cohort were ascertained. Results-7132 babies were eligible for routine examination; 83% of these wer e examined. Murmurs were heard in 47 of 5395 babies and in 11 of 25 referre d for evaluation congenital heart disease was found. The six to eight week examination led to diagnosis of 11 of 35 cases (31%) of congenital heart di sease in the study population. Conclusions-Nearly one baby in 100 had a murmur on routine examination at s ix to eight weeks. Nearly half of those with murmurs who were referred had a structural cardiovascular malformation.