L1P2: Methods of Examining (Part 2) Flashcards
It is the act of striking the body surface to elicit sounds that can be heard or vibrations that can be felt.
Percussion
It is used to determine the location, size, shape, and density of underlying structures; to detect the presence of air or fluid in a body space; and to elicit tenderness.
Percussion
2 Types of Percussion
- Direct Percussion
- Indirect Percussion
The nurse strikes the area to be percussed directly with the pads of two, three, or four fingers or with the pad of the middle finger.
Direct Percussion
Percussion in which two hands are used and the plexor strikes the finger of the examiner’s other hand, which is in contact with the body surface being percussed (pleximeter).
Indirect Percussion
Percussion Sounds
- Flatness
- Dullness
- Resonance
- Hyperresonance
- Tympany
It is an extremely dull sound produced by very dense tissue, such as muscle or bone.
Reflects the most dense tissue (the least amount of air).
Flatness
It is a thudlike sound produced by dense tissue such as the liver, spleen, or heart.
Dullness
It is a hollow sound such as that produced by lungs filled with air.
Resonance
It is not produced in the normal body. It is described as booming and can be heard over an emphysematous lung.
Hyperresonance
It is a musical or drumlike sound produced from an air-filled stomach. Reflects the least dense tissue (the greatest amount of air).
Tympany
Productions of Sound
- Amplitude (Instensity)
- Pitch (Frequency)
- Quality (Timbre)
- Duration
The loudness or softness of a sound.
Amplitude (Intensity)
The number of vibrations or cycles per second, written as “ps.”
Pitch (Frequency)
It is a subjective difference in a sound’s distinctive overtones.
Quality (Timbre)
The length of time the note lingers.
Duration
It is listening to sounds produced by parts of the body, such as the heart and blood vessels, the lungs, and the abdomen.
It is the process of listening to sounds produced within the body.
Auscultation
Auscultation may be:
- Direct
- Indirect
It is performed using the unaided ear, for example, to listen to a respiratory wheeze or the grating of a moving joint.
Direct Auscultation
It is performed using a stethoscope, which transmits sounds to the nurse’s ears.
Indirect Auscultation
It is used most often because its flat edge is best for hearing high-pitched sounds: breath, bowel, and normal heart sounds.
Diaphragm
It has a deep, hollow, cuplike shape. It is best for soft, low-pitched sounds such as extra heart sounds or murmurs.
Bell
