[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Clinical exam](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/) › Respiratory system # Respiratory system Inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation of the chest, and the pleuropulmonary syndromes. 18 pages ## Sign - [**Adventitious sounds: crackles, wheezes, rhonchi, stridor and pleural rub** Sounds that do not exist in healthy lungs; each type points to a different mechanism: fluid…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/adventitious-sounds-crackles-wheezes-rhonchi-stridor-and-pleural-rub/) - [**Voice sounds: bronchophony, egophony and whispered pectoriloquy** The examiner listens while the patient speaks or whispers: if the voice comes through clearly…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/voice-sounds-bronchophony-egophony-and-whispered-pectoriloquy/) ## Syndrome - [**Atelectasis syndrome** Part of the lung collapses and loses air: that side of the chest pulls in and the trachea shifts…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/atelectasis-syndrome/) - [**Bronchial obstruction syndrome** The airways narrow and air is hard to breathe out: long expiration, wheezes and a chest that…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/bronchial-obstruction-syndrome/) - [**Cavitation syndrome** A cavity inside the lung, sometimes with air and fluid, that drains into a bronchus and produces…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/cavitation-syndrome/) - [**Consolidation syndrome** When the air sacs fill with fluid or cells, the lung becomes solid and sounds and vibrates…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/consolidation-syndrome/) - [**Pleural effusion syndrome** Fluid between the lung and the chest wall: the base sounds dull and voice and breath sounds are…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/pleural-effusion-syndrome/) - [**Pneumothorax syndrome** Air between the lung and the chest wall: the lung collapses, that side sounds hollow and…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/pneumothorax-syndrome/) - [**Pulmonary hyperinflation syndrome (emphysema)** The lungs stay full of trapped air: barrel chest, a hollow percussion note and breathing that is…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/pulmonary-hyperinflation-syndrome/) - [**Respiratory distress and respiratory failure: the signs** The signs that breathing takes too much effort, and the ones warning that the patient is tiring…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/respiratory-distress-and-respiratory-failure-the-signs/) ## Exam technique - [**Chest inspection: shape, expansion, accessory muscles and retractions** Look at the chest and the breathing before touching: shape, symmetry, rate and effort say a lot…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/chest-inspection-shape-expansion-accessory-muscles-and-retractions/) - [**Chest palpation: expansion and tactile fremitus** The hands check whether both sides of the chest expand equally and whether the voice vibrates…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/chest-palpation-expansion-and-tactile-fremitus/) - [**Chest percussion: resonance, dullness and hyperresonance** Tapping the chest makes a sound that changes when air, fluid or solid tissue lies underneath](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/chest-percussion-resonance-dullness-and-hyperresonance/) - [**Lung auscultation: normal breath sounds** The stethoscope lets the examiner hear air moving in and out; knowing normal sounds is the basis…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/lung-auscultation-normal-breath-sounds/) ## Topic - [**Dyspnea: acute or chronic, heart or lung, and grading (mMRC, NYHA)** Feeling short of breath: how fast it started, whether the heart or the lungs are behind it, and…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/dyspnea-acute-or-chronic-heart-or-lung-and-grading/) - [**Respiratory procedures: V/Q scan, bronchoscopy, thoracentesis, biopsy** The tests that look at lung blood flow, look inside the airways, drain fluid from the chest or…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/respiratory-procedures-v-q-scan-bronchoscopy-thoracentesis-biopsy/) - [**Respiratory symptoms: cough, sputum, hemoptysis and dyspnea** The key questions about cough, phlegm, coughing up blood and breathlessness, and what each…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/respiratory-symptoms-cough-sputum-hemoptysis-and-dyspnea/) - [**The pleuropulmonary syndromes: the comparison table to know** Five syndromes and what each step of the chest exam finds in them: the most-asked table](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/the-pleuropulmonary-syndromes-the-comparison-table-to-know/) ## A to Z - [A](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/a/) - [B](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/b/) - [C](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/c/) - [D](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/d/) - [E](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/e/) - [F](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/f/) - [G](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/g/) - [H](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/h/) - [I](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/i/) - [J](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/j/) - [K](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/k/) - [L](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/l/) - [M](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/m/) - [N](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/n/) - [O](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/o/) - [P](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/p/) - [R](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/r/) - [S](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/s/) - [T](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/t/) - [U](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/u/) - [V](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/v/) - [W](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/w/) [← Clinical examination](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/) Educational content on the clinical exam; it is learned and practised under supervision. It does not replace assessment by a health professional and is not for self-diagnosis. Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/areas/respiratory/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/areas/respiratory/