Respiratory Flashcards
Hemoptysis
Blood-streaked sputum
Orthopnea
Shortness of breath when supine
Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
Shortness of breath at night relieved by sitting upright
Stridor
Audible high-pitched inspiratory whistling (ominous sign of upper airway obstruction)
Inspection
Shape of chest
How the chest moves (symmetry, retractions, accessory muscle use)
Palpation
Areas of tenderness or bruising
Respiratory expansion
Crepitus
Fremitus
Fremitus
Palpable vibrations transmitted through the bronchopulmonary tree to the chest wall as the patient speaks (“99”)
Percussion
7 locations bilaterally
Sounds: flat (thigh), dull (liver), resonant (healthy lung), hyperresonant (usually absent), tympanic (puffed cheek)
Diaphragmatic excursion
Identify lung sounds by
1.
2.
3.
- Intensity
- Pitch
- Relative duration
Vesicular
Soft or low pitched
Bronchovesicular
Equal in length with inspiration and expiration, sometimes separated by a silent interval
Bronchial
Louder, harsher, higher in pitch
Short silence between inspiratory and exploratory sounds
Tracheal sounds
Loud harsh sounds heard over trachea in neck
Egophony
Ask patient to say “ee”
Will hear muffled long E
Egophony present if “ee” sounds like “A”, sounds nasal, or there is an E-to-A change
Broncophony
Ask patient to say “99”
Normal sounds: muffled and in distinct
Louder sounds are bronchophony
Egophony is indicative of
Consolidation
Bronchophony is indicative of
Consolidation
Whispered pectoriloquy
Ask patient to whisper “99” or “1-2-3”
Normal: faint indistinct whispered voice heard, if at all
Abnormal: louder, clear whispered sounds = whispered pectoriloquy
Tachypnea
Rapid shallow breathing
Hyperpnea
Rapid deep breathing (e.g. from exercise)
Kussmaul breathing
Compensatory overbreathing due to systemic acidosis
Cheyne-stokes Breathing
Periods of deep breathing that alternate with apnea (combination of hyperpnea and apnea)
Normal in children and older adults during sleep
Ataxic Breathing
Apnea alternates with regular deep breaths which stop suddenly for short intervals
Flail Chest
Inspiration: Diaphragm descent decreases intrathoracic pressure —> injured area caves inward
Expiration: area moves outward