Lung Sounds Lessons, Quizzes and Reference Guides

Overview

• Website: Practical Clinical Skills offers educational resources on lung sounds, including lessons, quizzes, and reference guides.
• Features: Courses, quizzes, dynamic waveform videos, and audio recordings to help learn lung auscultation.
• Certification: Personalized achievement certificates available.

Lung Sounds Auscultation

• Essential in physical exams; all chest wall areas should be examined.
• Auscultation sites include anterior and posterior chest walls, and flanks.

Key Learning Modules

1. Fundamentals of Lung Sounds:

   • Free module and quiz.
   • Provides an overview of lung sound characteristics with lessons on eight key sounds.

2. Basic Lung Sounds:

   • Focuses on common vesicular, bronchial sounds, crackles, and wheezes.

3. Intermediate Lung Sounds:

   • Covers advanced wheezes, crackles, and introduces voiced sounds (bronchophony, egophony, whispered pectoriloquy).

Types of Lung Sounds

• Vesicular Lung Sounds:

  • Commonly heard over most chest walls, low to moderate intensity, rustling quality.
  • I:E ratio typically 3:1.

• Bronchial Breath Sounds:

  • Higher-pitched, tubular sounds, auscultated over trachea, anterior, and posterior chest.
  • I:E ratio is 1:3.

• Wheeze:

  • High-intensity sounds from narrowed bronchus, continuous with a musical quality.

• Rhonchi:

  • Low-pitched, continuous sounds caused by airway fluids or secretions.

• Fine Crackles:

  • Brief, high-pitched, discontinuous popping sounds.

• Coarse Crackles:

  • Louder, lower-pitched than fine crackles.

• Pleural Rubs:

  • Creaking or grating sounds, occur with chest movements.

• Stridor:

  • High-pitched crowing sound, indicates airway obstruction.

Teaching and Training

• Auscultation Quizzes: Graded quizzes available to test knowledge.
• Repetition Training: Modules for repeated auscultation practice.
• Pulmonary Problem-Solving: Courses integrating clinical skills with respiratory care.

Authors and Credits

• Authors: Various experts including Dr. Jonathan Keroes, Diane Wrigley, William French.
• Reviewers: Reviewed by Dr. Barbara Erickson and others.
• Sources: Includes contributions from medical publications and professionals.

Additional Resources

• Reference Guides: Over twenty breath sounds with listening tips and waveforms.
• Free Teaching Resources: Access to heart sounds and EKG interpretation.

Useful Links

• Lung Sounds Reference Guide
• Auscultation Quizzes
• Repetition Training