In this setting the following maneuvers have historically been used in making the diagnosis of pneumonia and may be of interest. The clinical likelihood of pneumonia increases when focal abnormalities such as crackles or asymmetry between lung fields are present. Note: If the above exam is normal, no further maneuvers are likely to contribute to the diagnosis of lung pathology. Assess for crackles in the lateral decubitus position (LDP).Assess for excursion depth during inspiration.Auscultate for presence of crackles, wheezes and rub, alternating between left and right lung.Since the complete pulmonary physical examination takes approximately ten minutes, for time-efficiency it is helpful to perform a screening exam, expanding techniques employed in a sequential fashion as indicated clinically: Screening Exam Techniques These are techniques of auscultation and percussion: Video 3.There are many physical examination maneuvers described for evaluation of lung sounds. Abnormal findings might be documented as: “Resonance heard throughout except hyperresonance heard in left lower lobe on posterior and lateral thorax.”.Normal findings might be documented as: “Resonance heard through lungs on posterior and lateral thorax.”.On the lateral thorax, begin percussing inferior to the axilla and percuss in about three locations on the right side and then two locations on the left side (see Figure 3.15).įigure 3.15: Percussion pattern for lateral thorax Image by Claudio_Scott from Pixabay (image was cropped and illustrated upon for the purposes of this chapter)Ĥ. However, a client who is underweight will typically still have a resonant sound.įigure 3.14: Percussion pattern for posterior thorax Typically, you will skip the percussion step when the client has a muscular chest or a lot of adipose tissue as this will modify the normal resonant sound to a flat sound. You can rock your finger back and forth to ensure you are in an intercostal space. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |