Respiratory Examination Flashcards
What position is the patient in?
45degrees, undressed to waist
What are the main stages of the exam?
General Inspection Hands Pulse Head and Neck Close Inspection of the Thorax Palpation Percussion Auscultation Sit Forwards
What are you looking for during general inspection and where are you looking from?
Breathlessness - especially whilst talking Tolerate lying down Accessory muscles Chest expansion Hoarse Wheeze Stridor Cough
What are you looking for when examining the hands?
Tar staining Cyanosis Clubbing Rheumatological disease Skin changes Temperature Tremor Flapping tremor
What pulse are you examining and what for?§
Radial - rate, rhythm and respiratory rate
What are you looking for in the head and neck exam?
Conjunctival pallor
Horner’s - ptosis, miosis, anhidrosis
Central cyanosis
JVP
What is part of the close inspection of the thorax?
Scars
Skin changes
Asymmetry
Deformities
What are you palpating for?
Chest expansion
Tracheal deviation
Apex beat
What are you percussing for?
Supraclavicular
Infraclavicular
Chest wall (3-4es)
Axillary line
Where and how do you auscultate?
Deep breath when stethoscope on skin
Clavicular - bell
Chest wall (3-4es) - diaphragm - quality, volume, added sounds
Vocal resonance - 99 instead of breath
What do you do when you ask the patient to sit forward?
Lymph nodes Inspection Palpation Percussion Auscultation
