Lung Examination
Lung Examination - Related Videos
20:06
The Comprehensive Infant Examination
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2023
Source: Heather Collette and Jaideep Talwalkar; Yale School of Medicine The newborn exam is important in establishing a baby's baseline health status as they enter the world. Newborn providers have the unique opportunity to evaluate a patient for the very first time. They are also tasked with identifying congenital anomalies that require early intervention to promote a long and healthy life for the child. Many newborn anomalies, such as heart defects, are noted on prenatal ultrasound. However,...
07:44
Ophthalmoscopic Examination
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2023
Source: Richard Glickman-Simon, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, MA The simplest ophthalmoscopes consist of an aperture to look through, a diopter indicator, and a disc for selecting lenses. The ophthalmoscope is primarily used to examine the fundus, or the inner wall of the posterior eye, which consists of the choroid, retina, fovea, macula, optic disc, and retinal vessels (Figure 1). The spherical eyeball...
07:06
A Simple Method of Mouse Lung Intubation
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Cited by 50 •
2013
This paper describes a striaghforward and efficient method of intubating mice for pulmonary function measurements or pulmonary instillation, that allows the mice to recover and be studied at later times. The procedure involves an inexpensive fiberoptic light source that directly illuminates the trachea.
35:03
Mental Status Examination
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2023
Source: Carmen Black, Matthew Goldenberg, and Jaideep Talwalkar; Yale School of Medicine The mental status exam is a clinical evaluation of emotional, perceptual, and cognitive functioning that spans both the fields of psychiatry and neurology. Developing skill in the psychiatric portions of the examination are important to describe salient aspects of the patient's mental state that may be observed during routine history and/or physical exam. Proficiency in the cognitive portions of this...
01:47
Lung Capacity
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2019
The air in the lungs is measured in volumes and capacities. Lung volume measures reflect the amount of air taken in, released, or left over after a lung function, like a single inhalation. Lung capacity measures are sums of two or more lung volume measures. There are four defined lung volume measures: tidal volume, inspiratory reserve volume, expiratory reserve volume, and residual volume. Tidal volume is the amount of air inhaled and exhaled in a normal breath. Inspiratory...
FAQs
Each component examines a different feature of respiratory function. Inspection evaluates breathing effort and chest movement, palpation assesses expansion and tactile fremitus, percussion helps characterize underlying air, fluid, or tissue, and auscultation evaluates sounds created by moving air. Considering these findings together gives clinicians a more complete picture than relying on any single observation.
Symmetry provides a comparison between the two sides of the chest, while work of breathing reflects the effort required to ventilate. Abnormal movement or increased effort can signal impaired ventilation or airway obstruction. These observations help clinicians identify which findings require closer assessment with palpation, percussion, auscultation, or additional evaluation.
Percussion and auscultation provide different types of information. Percussion evaluates the character of the chest over underlying air, fluid, or tissue, whereas auscultation assesses breath sounds produced by moving air. Comparing these findings with chest movement and palpation can help distinguish patterns associated with fluid accumulation, infection, airway obstruction, or impaired ventilation.
The examination proceeds through inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation. The clinician first observes respiratory effort and chest movement, then assesses expansion and tactile fremitus by touch. Percussion evaluates the underlying chest, and auscultation listens to breath sounds. This organized sequence supports consistent assessment of respiratory abnormalities and ventilation.
Further testing or treatment may be considered when examination findings suggest airway obstruction, infection, fluid accumulation, or impaired ventilation. Changes in breath sounds, percussion notes, chest symmetry, or work of breathing can provide the clinical basis for that decision. The examination therefore supports, rather than replaces, broader clinical decision-making.
Lung examination provides structured clinical information that helps determine whether breathing appears normal or abnormal and which respiratory features are affected. Findings from movement, palpation, percussion, and breath sounds can be interpreted together to identify concerning patterns. Clinicians use this information to guide diagnostic reasoning and decide whether additional testing or treatment is needed.