The Functional Basis of Pulmonary Sounds

Lung sounds radiated by diseased lungs are regarded by many clinicians as signs of relatively low diagnostic value, so that auscultation is often performed as a bedside ritual, in deference to tradition.

Abstract

The sounds radiated by diseased lungs are regarded by many clinicians as signs of relatively low diagnostic value. In comparison with radiographic and laboratory procedures, such sounds appear to lack precision, so that auscultation is often performed as a bedside ritual, in deference to tradition. Most textbooks of pulmonary diseases dismiss lung sounds in a few short paragraphs written in the language of the last century. Sounds of the LungsCHESTVol. 73Issue 3PreviewAlthough all physicians have at one time or another used a stethoscope to listen to the sounds emanating from the lungs, the procedure is often considered ritualistic, an act that is more symbolic than informative. Full-Text PDF