I just wanted to ask the community something that I have found very strange today when having a stethoscope examination.
Never before have I been told to breathe normally, it has always been deep breathing in and out.
Can anyone tell me if they have been asked to merely breathe normally on examination? I cannot find a single reference to this matter and never heard of it before hence, calling out for your opinions. It was a nurse.
Regards
Brian
Written by
Brimay
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Sounds like the same nurse who checked my lungs with a stethoscope during an exacerbation some time ago and didn't ask me to breathed deeply.I've been wondering why ever since! By the way (and please forgive my ignorance everyone) what are those "Sats" frequently mentioned on this forum? The word is doubtless an acronym but for what please? I can find nothing relevant on line. Best wishes to all.
Hi FormerT, I imagine Sats would be Oxygen Saturation, 02 sats - on your oxometer. Just what I call them and so many others, oxygen sats -= oxygen saturation. Best Wishes
Glad to hear, its a first for me, usually breath in and out deep. Was merely curious as there is n reference online at all - all refer to deep breathing in and out. Regards
I think it depends on which aspect of your breathing that they are listening to at the time.
I’m usually asked to breathe normally. You should definitely breathe OUT normally every time, because forced expiration causes wheeze even in someone with healthy lungs. And as Hidden says, it presumably depends on which abnormal sounds they’re listening for.
According to a young friend in her final year of medical school, auscultation of the chest, as they call it, is a very complex art!
I have always been asked to breath normally first, then, when they seem used to that, they ask for the deep breathing, and seem surprised when I cough, on the deep bit.
I have had deep breathing during an examination, but have also had normal breathing. I can’t tell you what they learn from each type of breathing or what they are looking for in each type of breathing.
I always asked the person on examination to breath normally. It gave a baseline for the rest of the examination. Obviously if your can hear a faint wheeze or chackles at that point you know there is a problem. If you cannot hear anything then deep breathing can reveal less obvious problems. Deep breathing is not your normal state so why do especially if deep breathing in is painful?
I haven't had a GP, nurse or consultant use a stethoscope to check my chest for many, many years - I thought this was considered old fashioned nowadays. Lucky to be able to see anyone all done on telephone now. I did comment once & was totally ignored. In fact the only place I see a stethoscope is on TV. I have emphysema & bronchiectasis.
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