As you listen, you can ask the patient to take a deep breath if you cannot hear breath sounds or if they are too quiet to determine if there are any abnormalities. Listen to the patient’s lungs in the upper and lower lobes, and on the front and back of the patient.  As you listen place the stethoscope on the upper part of the chest, then the midclavicular line of the chest, and then the bottom part of the chest. Make sure to listen to the front and back of all of these regions. Make sure to compare both sides of your patient’s lungs and note if anything is abnormal. By covering all of these positions you will be able to listen to all of the lobes of your patient’s lungs. Normal breath sounds are clear, like listening to someone blowing air into a cup. Listen to a sample of healthy lungs and then compare the sounds to what you hear in your patient’s lungs. There are two types of normal breath sounds: Bronchial breath sounds are those heard within the tracheobronchial tree. Vesicular breath sounds are those heard over the lung tissue. Abnormal breath sounds include wheezing, stridor, rhonchi, and rales. If you do not hear any breath sounds, the patient may have air or fluid around the lungs, thickness around the chest wall, or airflow that is slowed down or over inflation to the lungs. There are four types of abnormal breath sounds:  Wheezing sounds like a high pitched sound when the person exhales, and sometimes when they inhale as well. Many patients who have asthma also have wheezes, and sometimes you can even hear the wheezing without a stethoscope.  Stridor sounds like high-pitched musical breathing, similar to wheezing, heard most often when the patient inhales. Stridor is caused by a blockage in the back of the throat. This sound can also often be heard without a stethoscope.  Rhonchi sounds like snoring. Rhonchi cannot be heard without a stethoscope and happens because the air is following a “rough” path through the lungs or because it is blocked.  Rales sounds like popping bubble wrap or rattling in the lungs. Rales can be heard when a person inhales.
Ask your patient to sit straight up and breathe normally. Use the diaphragm of your stethoscope to listen to your patient’s lungs. Listen for normal breath sounds. Listen for abnormal breath sounds.
Ask your patient to sit straight up and breathe normally. Use the diaphragm of your stethoscope to listen to your patient’s lungs. Listen for normal breath sounds. Listen for abnormal breath sounds.