#Auscultating lung sounds how to#

Check your stethoscope! Some have heads that swivel to channel sound toward different sides (bell vs.

Shallow breaths don’t move air in the bases of the lungs so you don’t typically hear sounds there! However, hearing NOTHING is also a problem! If you don’t hear anything, here’s what to do: Keep in mind that WHAT you hear depends on what depth of breath is being taken. Listen at each point for two full breaths.

When auscultating, you want to start in the same place every time, typically the patient’s right upper lobe, then traveling across the sternum to the left upper lobe, then inferiorly, and then across.

What is most important is that you listen to all segments and compare sides. We aren’t going to spent too much time here. So let’s start with the basic anatomy refresher. If you don’t, you may miss the left lingular segments which is where stuff likes to hide. You also MUST listen to both the front and back of the lungs to ensure you are getting all the segments. This includes listening from top to bottom and left to right with the ability to compare right and left sides of the same lung segment. The method of performing auscultation that gives you the most information is to use the “S” pattern. There are a lot of variables when it comes to disease state, but if you have a stethoscope, just start listening to all your family members to get an idea of what “normal” sounds like.

#Auscultating lung sounds how to#

You have to know WHAT you are listening for and you have to know HOW to listen. The importance of this is pretty paramount. If you are going to be providing pulmonary interventions, you should probably have a strong idea of how to auscultate the lungs.