During chest inspection focus on:
1.shape of chest
2.symmetry of chest
3.chest expansion
4.types of respiration
5.location of trachea
6.supra clavicular notch
7.inter costal space
8.skin pigmentation
9.PMI and other heave or thrill
1-shape of chest:
Normal chest is elyptical and has two types: ratio : 3/5
a)Asthenic type in tall and thin person
b)sthenictype in obeys person
Abnormal shape of chest
1-Barrel chest
•Ant –post diameter is equal to transvers.
•In emphysematous case is seen
2-Pectus or pigeon chest:
•Protuberant of sternum
•Associated with Harrison sulcus
•In Rickets
Symmetry of chest
•Normal chest is symmetrical
•Two types of asymmetry:
1)Bulging( pleural effusion,tumor,pneumothorax,
cardiomegaly )
2)Retraction( collapse, fibrosis)
Expansion of chest
•Normally symmetrical expansion during ins and esp.
•Normally 5-8 cm deference in expand isp
•Less then 2 cm is abnormal
Types of respiration:
Thoraco -abdominal in female
Abdomeno -thoracic in male
In children diaphragmatic
During inspection of breathing focus on:
1.Rate ( 12 –18 / m)
2.Rhythm ( regular )
3.Depth
Terminology
Tachypnea: Rate > normal
Bradypnea : Rate < normal
Hyperpnea or hyperventilation ; rapid and deep respiration
Hypopnea or hypoventilation; slow and shalowrespiration
Apnea; stopping of respiration
Types of abnormal respiration:
•Cheyne –stoke respiration:
oPeriodic
oApnea after hyperventilation occurred
oAfter apnea respiration stared slowly , shallow and
gradual increase Rate and dept.
oIn heart failure, renal failure, sever pneumonia,ICP,
narcotic intoxication is seen.
Types of abnormal respiration:
•Biot respiration( ataxic breathing):
oPeriodic that is not common in hospitalized patient.
oRate and rhythm is stable but with apnea DS the rhythm
oSpecific for meningitis
Types of abnormal respiration:
•Kussmaul respiration:
oSpecific form of hyperventilation
oIn acidosis is seen
Types of abnormal respiration:
•Hippocratic respiration or fish mouthing respiration
•Hypoventilation
•Rate < 10
Palpation of chest:
Principle of palpation should be considered such as:
•Clean hands
•Warm hands
•All side of chest
•Up to down
•Ant then post then latside
•Compare the same side with each other.
Palpation of Trachea
4-5 cm of the upper trachea can be felt in the neck
between the cricoid cartilage and the sternal notch.
Pushed–pneumothorax
-pleural effusion
Pulled—fibrosis
--collapse
Method of Palpation of trachea
1.One finger method
2.Three finger method
Palpation of chest movement
Chest expansion–normal up to 5 cm
-abnormal < 2 cm
Palpation of lung apices:
Palpation of vocal fremitus:
Vocal fremitus is a palpable vibration of the thoracic wall produced by phonation.
--Ask the patient to say 99, 44
--you should feel the vibration transmitted through the airways to the lung.
Percussion of chest:
method of percussion:
1)Mediated percussion
2)Immediate percussion ( only on clavicle)
Principles of chest percussion
During chest percussion we should hear :
•Resonance ; in normal lung is audible
•Hyper resonance ; when lung is over filled like emphysema
•Tympanic ; when Hyper resonance is more sever , and shows free air.
Like On the stomach
•Dullness ; when the visceral is solid or filled with water.
•Stony dullness or flatness is sever form of dullness