Normal findings might be documented as: “Resonance heard through lungs on posterior and lateral thorax.”.On the lateral thorax, begin percussing inferior to the axilla and percuss in about three locations on the right side and then two locations on the left side (see Figure 3.15).įigure 3.15: Percussion pattern for lateral thorax Image by Claudio_Scott from Pixabay (image was cropped and illustrated upon for the purposes of this chapter)Ĥ. However, a client who is underweight will typically still have a resonant sound.įigure 3.14: Percussion pattern for posterior thorax Typically, you will skip the percussion step when the client has a muscular chest or a lot of adipose tissue as this will modify the normal resonant sound to a flat sound. You can rock your finger back and forth to ensure you are in an intercostal space. Avoid percussing over ribs because this will elicit a flat note and does not provide you with any important information.Toward the bottom, percuss close to the vertebral line and then move laterally. As you move down the thorax, place your finger close to the vertebral line to avoid percussing over the bone of the scapula. On the posterior thorax, begin at the shoulders at the scapular line. Also remember that the posterior thorax is primarily lower lobes.ģ. Remember that the number of locations depends on the size of the thorax less locations are needed on a client with a smaller thorax (e.g., infants). See Figure 3.14 for the percussion pattern. Percuss in about four to eight locations on each side of the posterior thorax and then at three locations on the right lateral thorax and at two locations on the left lateral thorax. Then, perform a complete focused assessment on the respiratory system and check for other related cues.Ģ. If abnormal percussion sounds are noted, describe the sound and identify the location. If you do, the sound elicited over the heart (a dense organ) will be a dull high-pitched sound that quickly stops and over the ribs (composed of bone and cartilage will be a flat high-pitched sound that stops promptly with a very short duration). Keep in mind that you should not percuss over ribs or the heart. However, the notes typically don’t change with a client who is underweight. Percussion does not elicit reliable data when a client is overweight or obese because the adipose tissue modifies the normal resonance to a dull note.
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