![]() Overexerting a patient with respiratory difficulties is counterproductive. This consideration is particularly important as detailed respiratory examination is often performed when a respiratory ailment is suspected. Requests for deep breaths should be minimal to avoid exhausting the patient. Auscultation can usually be conducted while the patient breathes normally. ![]() Patient Comfort:Įnsuring the patient’s comfort is essential. In cases where the patient has a hairy chest, moistening the area with warm water may help. This approach is preferred to avoid listening through clothing, which can create misleading friction sounds. The stethoscope should make direct contact with the patient’s bare skin. ![]() However, the anterior chest regions can still be examined when the patient is lying down. Ideally, the patient should be seated during auscultation to allow complete access to all chest areas. To effectively perform auscultation, certain conditions and practices should be observed: Quiet Environment:Ī quiet setting is crucial for auscultation as it aids in clearly hearing the breath sounds. Most of the breath sounds in this article were recorded using a Littmann 3200 electronic stethoscope, and some using the Littmann CORE digital stethoscope that I currently use, widely respected electronic stethoscopes for auscultation. For an experience similar to using a stethoscope, it is advisable to use headphones. I encourage you to listen to all the audio samples on this page. This article provides detailed descriptions of different respiratory sounds, accompanied by audio recordings for educational purposes. lobar pneumonia, pleural effusion, hemothorax, fibrous tissue, tumor, etc.Listening to breath sounds, auscultation, is a crucial clinical method for assessing respiratory problems in patients. Dullness replaces the normal resonance of lungs when fluid or solid tissue replaces the air in the lungs (e.g. Too much air in the lungs makes the lung hyperresonant. Thus, breath sounds are louder with consolidation and lower decreased with pleural effusion, PTX, or emphysema. ![]() Sound travels faster through solids than through air and liquid. Emphysematous blebs and pneumothorax are hyperresonant to percussion. Pleural fluid is associated with a dull-to-flat percussion note, decreased-to-absent tactile fremitus, and decreased-to-absent breath sounds.Ī consolidation would be indicated by increased bronchial breath sounds and increased fremitus. Causes of decreased tactile fremitus include:ġ ) Unilateral: Bronchial obstruction with mucus plug or foreign object, Pleural effusion, PneumothoraxĢ) Diffuse: Muscular or obese chest wall, Chronic obstructive lung disease” The causes of increased tactile fremitus include: Pneumonia, Lung tumor or mass, Pulmonary fibrosis, Atelectasis. “Tactile fremitus increases in intensity whenever the density of lung tissue increases, such as in consolidation or fibrosis, and will decrease when a lung space is occupied with an increase of fluid or air (e.g., pleural effusion, pneumothorax and emphysema). ![]()
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