Breath sounds

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Lungs Breath sounds

Overview Treatment

Breath sounds

Nasal flaring and cyanosisare emergency symptoms. Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath can be an emergency condition. Seek immediate medical care if you have any of these symptoms.

Contact your health care provider if you have wheezing or other abnormal breathing sounds.

Your healthcare provider will do a physical exam and ask you questions about your medical history and your breathing.

Questions may include:

• Time pattern
  • When did the breathing sound start?
  • How long did it last?
  • Is there a pattern to the occurrences?
• Quality
  • How would you describe it?
• Relieving factors
  • What makes it better?
• Aggravating factors
  • What makes it worse?
• Other
  • What other symptoms are also present?
  • Is there any coughing?
  • Is there any difficulty breathing?

Abnormal breath sounds are usually discovered by the health care provider. Youmaynot evennotice them.

The following tests may be done:

• Chest x-ray
• Pulmonary function tests
• Blood tests (including an arterial blood gas)
• CT scan of the chest
• Analysis of a sputum sample (sputum culture, sputum gram stain)

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