Assessment of the Respiratory System.

Question 1

What is involved in a respiratory system assessment?

Answer 1

Inspection, Palpation, Percussion, and Auscultation of the posterior chest.

Question 2

What is involved in the palpation of the posterior chest?

Answer 2

Hands are placed on posterolateral chest wall with thumbs at T9 and T10. Patient breathes and the nurse is assessing chest expansion using the thumbs as an indicator.

Question 3

What is involved in the percussion of the posterior chest?

Answer 3

Using the correct percussion technique aka tapping on fingers covering the lung field comparing dullness and resonance.

Question 4

What is involved in the auscultation of the posterior chest?

Answer 4

Using the diaphragm of a stethoscope you auscultate at 4-5cm intervals over the posterior chest lung fields listening to both inspiration and expiration for abnormalities.

Question 5

What is involved in the inspection of the posterior chest?

Answer 5

Inspect the posterior chest for shape, configuration, skin colour, and condition.

Question 6

What is important to say when talking about the posterior shape and configuration?

Answer 6

Note if the distance between the anterior chest to the posterior chest is smaller or larger than the transverse of the posterior. and also note the configuration of the spine.

Question 7

What does transverse mean?

Answer 7

situated or extending across something.

Question 8

What are the 5 things we are inspecting on the posterior back?

Answer 8

Colour, Configuration, Condition, Shape, and Skin.

Question 9

What are we looking for in terms of colour on your posterior chest?

Answer 9

Consistency with the rest of the body and no abnormalities aka sun burn would be one.

Question 10

What are we looking for in terms of shape on your posterior chest?

Answer 10

Hunching, Sloping, ect

Question 11

What are we looking for in terms of your skin on your posterior chest?

Answer 11

Tattoos, lesions, scars. ect

Question 12

What are we looking for in terms of configuration on your posterior chest?

Answer 12

How your spine sits.

Question 13

What are the steps of palpation on the posterior chest?

Answer 13

1. Explain procedure and ask for consent. 2. Place warmed hands on the posterolateral chest wall with thumbs at T9 and T10. 3. Slide hands medially to tent up skin. 4. Ask the person to take a deep breath in