Week 5 - Auscultation Flashcards
What two types of sound are you listening for?
Breath sounds
Added sounds
What is heard when listening to NORMAL breath sounds?
Sounds heard over entire lung field
Muffled in quality
Normal to get quieter as you go further from the trachea
Inspiration louder and longer than expiration
No pause between inspiration and expiration
What is heard when listening to INCREASED breath sounds?
Louder, more coarse sound
Inspiration and expiration are equal pitch, intensity and duration
Definite pause between inspiration and expiration
‘Darth Vader’ breathing
What might cause DECREASED/ABSENT breath sounds?
Decreased ventilation, e.g. collapse/ consolidation
Decreased mechanics of breathing, e.g. rib fracture
Decreased transmission of sound, e.g. pleural effusion
What are the three types of added sounds?
Crackles, wheezes, rubs
What are two possible causes of crackles?
Due to a closed section of airway suddenly popping open (on inspiration)
Secretions in the airways being audible as air passes through them
What causes wheeze?
Air passing through a narrow airway; can occur during inspiration or expiration
What are the two types of wheeze?
Monophonic - generated by one airway, single note
Polphonic - generated by several airways, different notes
What is stridor?
An audible wheeze heard at the mouth, indicating upper airway obstruction
What is pleural rub?
A creaky, leathery sound caused by pleural surfaces rubbing together, e.g. due to inflammation or too little fluid
Describe four important points to remember during auscultation
Use systematic matter, comparing one side to another
Don’t place over clothing
Clean between patients use
Ask patients to sit upright and breath through mouth
Upper lobes accessed anteriorly; middle lobes anteriorly or laterally; lower lobes posteriorly
Give three things that can interfere
Movement of stethoscope on skin Oral cavity sounds Clothing/sheets Talking Hairy skin Shivering Water in tubing
