Breath and Lung Sounds Flashcards
What to do when listening to breath sounds?
- compare bilaterally
- auscultate full respiratory cycle at each site
Normal Breath Sounds
- bronchial
- bronchovesicular
- vesicular
Normal Breath Sounds: Bronchial
produced by air moving through the trachea
-Heard Best:
> Anteriorly: over the trachea
> Posteriorly: below the nape of the neck
-Description: blowing, hallow sounds; inspiration is shorter than expiration and lower pitched
Where are Bronchial Sounds are heard best?
- Anteriorly: over the trachea
- Posteriorly: below the nape of the neck
Description of Bronchial Sounds
blowing, hallow sounds
-inspiration is shorter than expiration and lower pitched
Normal Breath Sounds: Bronchovesicular
produced by air moving through the bronchial airways
-Heard Best
>Anteriorly: over the 1st and 2nd ICS adjacent to the sternum anteriorly
>Posteriorly: over the scapula posteriorly
-Description: medium pitched, medium intensity, blowing sounds; inspiration and expiration are equal length and similar pitch
Where are Bronchovesicular sounds heard best?
- Anteriorly: over the 1st and 2nd ICS adjacent to the sternum anteriorly
- Posteriorly: over the scapula posteriorly
Description of Bronchovesicular Sounds
medium pitched, medium intensity, blowing sounds
-inspiration and expiration are equal length and similar pitch
Normal Breath Sounds: Vesicular
produced by air moving through the smaller airways
- Best heard: over the lung fields
- Description: soft, low-pitched, breezy sounds; inspiration is longer, louder, and higher-pitched than expiration
Where is Vesicular Sounds heard best?
over the lung fields
Description of Vesicular Sounds
soft, low-pitched breezy sounds
-inspiration is longer, louder, and higher-pitched than expiration
Abnormal Breath Sounds (Adventitious)
- Crackles/ Rales
- Rhonchi
- Wheezes
- Stridor
- Friction Rub
- Grunting
Adventitious Breath Sounds: Crackles/Rales
caused by air bubbling through moisture in alveoli
- characteristics: bubbling, crackling, popping, soft, high-pitched, and very brief sounds
- usually heard through inspiration
Crackles/ Rales Characteristics
bubbling, crackling, popping, soft, high-pitched, and very brief sounds
-usually heard through inspiration
What Conditions would you find Crackles/ Rales?
-pneumonia, congestive heart failure (CHF), bronchitis, and emphysema
Adventitious Breath Sounds: Rhonchi
caused by mucous secretions in the large airways
- characteristics: coarse, snoring, continuous low-pitched sounds heard during inspiration and expiration
- may clear with coughing
Rhonchi Characteristics
coarse, snoring, continuous low-pitched sounds heard during inspiration and expiration
-may clear with coughing
What Conditions would you find Rhonchi?
bronchitis, emphysema, narrowed airways, and fibrotic lungs
Adventitious Breath Sounds: Wheezes
caused by narrowing of small airways by spasm, inflammation, mucous, or tumor
-characteristics: high-pitched musical or squeaking sounds heard during inspiration or expiration
Wheezes Characteristics
high-pitched, musical or squeaking sounds heard during inspiration or expiration
What Conditions would you find Wheezes?
acute asthma, emphysema
Adventitious Breath Sounds: Stridor
caused by a partial upper airway obstruction or tracheal or laryngeal spasm
- need immediate medical examination
- characteristics: high-pitched, continuous honking sounds heard throughout the respiratory cycle but most prominent on inspiration
Stridor Characteristics
high-pitched, continuous honking sounds heard throughout the respiratory cycle but most prominent on inspiration
What Conditions would you find stridor?
acute respiratory distress, foreign body in airway, epiglottitis
Adventitious Breath Sounds: Friction Rub
caused by rubbing together of inflamed pleural layers
- characteristics: a high-pitched grating or rubbing sound that may be heard throughout the respiratory cycle
- loudest over lower lateral anterior surface
Friction Rub Characteristics
high-pitched grating or rubbing sound that may be heard throughout the respiratory cycle
-loudest over lower lateral anterior surface
What Condition would you find Friction Rub?
pleuritis
Adventitious Breath Sounds: Grunting
retention of air in the lungs
-characteristics: a high-pitched tubular sound heard on expiration
Grunting Characteristics
a high-pitched tubular sound heard on expiration
What Condition would you find Grunting?
emphysema
Stertor
“death rattle”
- labored breathing that produces a snorting sound
- common with mouth breathing due to nasal congestion
