Anterior Chest Auscultate from side to side and top to bottom using the pattern shown in the illustration. Compare one side to the other looking for asymmetry. Note the location and quality of the sounds you hear. Interpretation Breath sounds are produced by turbulent air flow. The general rule is, the larger the airway, the louder and higher pitched the sound.
Vesicular breath sounds are low pitched and normally heard over most lung fields.
Tracheal breath sounds are heard over the trachea. Bronchovesicular and bronchial sounds are heard in between. These are high pitched, discontinuous sounds similar to the sound produced by rubbing your hair between your fingers. Any extra sound that is not a crackle or a wheeze is probably a rhonchi. Special Tests Peak Flow Monitoring Peak flow meters are inexpensive, hand-held devices used to monitor pulmonary function in patients with asthma.