Breath sounds

Alternative names:

auscultation of the lungs; chest sounds - lung; lung sounds - abnormal; rales; rhonchi

Home care:

Consult your health care provider.

Call your health care provider if:

• use of accessory muscles or other signs of increased breathing work (such as retractions, nasal flaring, and cyanosis) are also present. This is an emergency symptom!
• difficulty breathing or shortness of breath occur; these indicate a potentially emergency condition!
• wheezing or other abnormal sounds persist longer than a few hours.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

The medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.

Medical history questions documenting an abnormal lung sound in detail may include:

• time pattern
  • When did it start?
  • How long did it last?
  • Is there a pattern to the occurrences?

• quality
  • How would you describe it?

• relieving factors
  • What makes it better?

• aggravating factors
  • What makes it worse?

• other
  • What other symptoms are also present?
  • Is there any coughing?
  • Is there any difficulty breathing?

Note: Abnormal breath sounds are usually discovered by the health care provider, and the affected person may or may not have been aware of its presence.

The physical examination will include careful assessment of the lungs and breathing.

Diagnostic tests that may be performed include:

• lung scan
• chest X-ray
• analysis of a sputum sample (sputum culture, sputum gram stain)

Interventions:
Treatment may include increasing or decreasing fluid intake, humidifying the air to liquefy secretions, various medications (depending on the cause), and respiratory therapy measures. The treatment depends on the underlying cause of the unusual lung sounds.

After seeing your health care provider:
You may want to add a diagnosis related to abnormal breath sounds to your personal medical record.