Term | Definition |
cough | stimulation of afferent vagal endings that helps to clear the airway of extraneous material by producing a sudden, forceful, and noisy expulsion or air from the lungs |
crepitus | subcutaneous emphysema; beads of ari escape from the lungs and create a crackling sound when palpated |
anterior axillary line | line vertical line drawn from the origin of the front armpit fold along the anterolateral aspect of the thorax |
bronchophony | voice sound test in which the pt says the words "ninety-nine" or "one, two, three" to determine if the lung is filled with air, fluid, or a solid |
eupnea | normal breathing; respirations are 12-20 per minute for the resting adult |
mediastinum | area between the lungs; also called interpleural space |
angle of louis | (manubriosternal junction or sternal angle) junction of the manubrium and the sternum |
midsternal line | vertical line drawn from the midpoint of the sternum |
voice sounds | technique used to assess wheter the lungs are filled with air, fluid, or a solid |
midspinal (or vertebral) line | vertical line drawn from midpoint of spinous processes |
posterior axillary line | vertical line drawn from the rear armpit fold |
tactile (or vocal) fremitus | palpable vibration of the chest wall that is produced by the spoken word |
visceral pleura | lining of the external surface of the lungs |
alveoli (of the lung) | smallest functional units of the resp system; where gas exchange occurs |
bronchial (or tubular) breath sound | breath sound that is high in pitch and loud in intensity and that is heard best over the trachea; has a blowing/hollow quality; heard longer on expiration than inspiration |
apnea | lack of respirations for 10 or more seconds |
vertebrosternal (or true) ribs | rib pairs 1-7; articulate via the costal cartilage to the sternum |
suprasternal notch | visible and palpable depression in the midsternal line that lies superior to the manubrium |
bradypnea | resp rate under 12 bpm in a resting adult |
costal angle | angle formed by the intersection of the costal margins at the sternum |
vocal fremitus | see tactile fremitus |
pectus carinatum | abnormal thoracic configuration in which ther is a marked protrusion of the sternum; known as pigeon chest |
rhonchal fremitus | coarse palpable vibration produced by the passage of air through thick exudate in large bronchi or the trachea |
pleura | serous sac that encases the lung |
pleural friction fremitus | palpable grating that feels more pronounced on inspiration when there is an inflammatory process between the visceral and parietal pleuras |
intercostal space | area between ribs |
diaphragmatic excursion | technique used to assess the pt's depth of ventilation |
scapular line | vertical line drawn from the inferior angle of the shoulder blade |
sternal angle | see angle of louis |
kussmaul's respirations | extreme increased rate and depth of respirations, as in diabetic ketoacidosis |
xiphoid process | cartilaginous protrusion at the base of the sternum; does not articulate with the ribs |
fine crackle | discontinuous adventitious breath sound that is caused by air passing through moisture in small airways that suddenly reinflate; resembles a high-pitched crackling sound |
adventitious breath sounds | breath sound that is superimposed on normal breath sounds |
agonal respirations | irregularly irregular respirations that signal impending death |
air trapping | abnormal respiratory pattern with rapid, shallow respirations and forced expirations; the lungs hav insufficient time to fully exhale and air becomes trapped, leading to overexpansion of the lungs |
apex (of the lung) | top of the lung |
apneustic respirations | prolonged gasping on inspiration followed by a very short, inefficient pause that can last 30-60seconds |
barrel chest | abnormal thoracic configuration in which the ratio of the anteroposterior diameter to the transverse diameter of the chest is approximately 1:1 |
base (of the lung) | bottom of the lung |
Biot's Respirations | |