Normal heartbeats can be slow when an individual is resting or asleep, fast when running, excited or upset, and somewhere in between at other times. Even at rest, young children have faster heartbeats than older children, who have faster heartbeats than teenagers or adults. The variability in heart beats is due to the heart’s electrical…
An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) is a painless test used to record the heart’s electrical activity and possibly reveal issues with the heart’s rhythm, such as an arrhythmia or other signs of underlying heart trouble. The EKG test involves placing small electrode patches on the skin. Wires from the electrodes run to the EKG machine….
A heart murmur is a sound made by the flow of blood through the heart when a doctor listens with a stethoscope. Many children have heart murmurs, which can vary as a child grows. If we were to listen to a child’s heart throughout their lifetime, we likely would hear a murmur in most children….