How to auscultate for heart sounds in infants and children
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

How to auscultate for heart sounds in infants and children

Emily Westley Senior outpatient nurse, cardio-respiratory and intensive care directorate, Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, England
Catherine Renwick Consultant nurse, cardio-respiratory and intensive care directorate, Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, England
Emily Ellis Advanced nurse practitioner, cardio-respiratory and intensive care directorate, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, London, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To enhance your knowledge of the procedure for undertaking cardiac auscultation in infants and children

  • To familiarise yourself with the heart sounds that may be heard during cardiac auscultation and what these may indicate

  • To be aware of the differences between undertaking cardiac auscultation in infants and children compared with adults

Rationale and key points

This article provides an introduction to performing cardiac auscultation in infants and children aged 0-16 years, with the aim of improving children’s nurses’ knowledge and confidence in this procedure. Nurses wishing to develop competence in cardiac auscultation can use this article as a guide to complement supervised practical experience; however, it is not intended to determine an individual’s competence.

• Cardiac auscultation is a component of a structured cardiac assessment rather than a standalone tool.

• It is important to auscultate all four main heart valve areas, listening for normal heart sounds and any additional sounds.

• Several differences should be considered when auscultating heart sounds in infants and children compared with adults, including heart rate ranges and the potential need to use distraction techniques for those who are distressed.

Reflective activity

‘How to’ articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of:

• How you think this article might help improve your practice when undertaking cardiac auscultation in infants and children.

• How you could use this information to develop your own knowledge and skills before educating others on the appropriate technique and evidence base behind auscultating heart sounds in infants and children.

Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2024.e1527

Peer review

This article has been subject to open peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

c.renwick@rbht.nhs.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Westley E, Renwick C, Ellis E (2024) How to auscultate for heart sounds in infants and children. Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2024.e1527

Disclaimer

Please note that information provided by How to articles is not sufficient to make the reader competent to perform the task. All clinical skills should be formally assessed according to policy and procedures. It is the nurse’s responsibility to ensure their practice remains up to date and reflects the latest evidence

Published online: 21 October 2024

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