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Respiratory sounds, also known as lung sounds or breath sounds, are the specific sounds generated by the movement of air through the respiratory system. [1] These may be easily audible or identified through auscultation of the respiratory system through the lung fields with a stethoscope as well as from the spectral characteristics of lung sounds. [2]
A wheeze is a clinical symptom of a continuous, coarse, whistling sound produced in the respiratory airways during breathing. [1] For wheezes to occur, part of the respiratory tree must be narrowed or obstructed (for example narrowing of the lower respiratory tract in an asthmatic attack), or airflow velocity within the respiratory tree must be heightened.
A physical examination will often reveal decreased intensity of breath sounds, wheezing, rhonchi, and prolonged expiration. During examination, physicians rely on history and the presence of persistent or acute onset of cough, followed by a URTI with no traces of pneumonia.
Bronchophony may be caused by a solidification of lung tissue around the bronchi – which may indicate lung cancer – or by fluid in the alveoli, which may indicate pneumonia. However, it may also have benign causes, such as wide bronchi. As such, it is usually an indication for further investigation rather than the main basis of a diagnosis.
Audio Breath Sounds Archived 2020-12-15 at the Wayback Machine - Multiple case studies with audio files of lung sounds. R.A.L.E. Repository - sound files of breath sounds
Upon physical examination, breath sounds (heard with a stethoscope) may be diminished on the affected side, partly because air in the pleural space dampens the transmission of sound. Measures of the conduction of vocal vibrations to the surface of the chest may be altered.
Very severe acute asthma (termed "near-fatal" as there is an immediate risk to life) is characterised by a peak flow of less than 33% predicted, oxygen saturations below 92% or cyanosis (blue discoloration, usually of the lips), absence of audible breath sounds over the chest ("silent chest" : wheezing is not heard because there is not enough ...
When the airways spasm or constrict in response to the irritating stimulus of the breathing tube, it is difficult to maintain the airway and the patient can become apneic. During general anesthesia, signs of bronchospasm include wheezing, high peak inspiratory pressures, increased intrinsic PEEP , decreased expiratory tidal volumes, and an ...