Show Menu
Cheatography
  1. Home >
  2. Home and Health >

Respiratory Assessment Cheat Sheet by

How to perform a respiratory assessment and the break down of possible assessment findings.

Abnormal Breathing Parrerns

Apnea
Absence of breathing
Biot’s
Irregular respir­ations of variable depth altern­ating with period of apnea
Bradypnea
Slow respir­ations (fewer than 10/min)
Cheyne­-Stokes
Gradual increase in depth, followed by a gradual decrease in depth, than a period of apnea
Dyspnea
Labored breathing, shortness of breath (SOB)
Hyperv­ent­ilation
Overex­pansion of the lungs charac­terized by rapid and deep breaths
Hypove­nti­lation
Under-­exp­ansion of the lungs charac­terized by shallow slow respir­ations
Kussmaul’s
Regular, increased rate and depth
Orthopnea
Dyspnea, SOB caused when lying flat
Sleep apnea
Temporary cessation of respir­ation while sleeping
Tachypnea
Fast, shallow breathing (more than 24/min)

Advent­itious Lung Sounds

Crackl­es/­Rales
Wheezes
Rhonchi
Stridor
Pleural friction rub
Diminished
High pitched popping sounds or low pitched bubbling sounds
High-p­itched, whistling, musical sound from air passing through narrowed airways
Low pitched, continuous gurgling sounds during inspir­ation or expira­tion, usually clear with cough
Intense, high-p­itched, and continuous
High pitched grating or rubbing sound
Difficult to hear
Caused by the sudden opening of small airways and alveoli collapsed by fluid, exudate, pneumonia, atelec­tasis, cystic fibrosis, bronch­itis, or pulmonary edema
Asthma, COPD
Almost always caused by increased secretions in large airways
Caused by airway obstru­ction (foreign body, inflam­mation)
Occurs when inflamed pleural surfaces rub together during respir­ation
Pneumonia, heart failure, pleural effusion, shallow breathing

Risk Factors Assessment

Patient demogr­aphics
Health history
Respir­atory history
Cardio­vas­cular history
Enviro­nmental history
Lifestyle
 

Physical Examin­ation

Inspect
Respir­atory pattern, signs of distress?, chest structures & movement, skin and mucous membrane color, edema?, sputum? —chara­cte­ristics
Palpate
Pulses, skin temp, heart pulsations through the chest wall, areas of tender­ness?
Percuss
Areas of consol­idation or excess air pockets?
Auscultate
Breath sounds, heart sounds, vascular sounds
IMPORTANT: Assess pt for pain, pain can alter breathing patterns.
  

Respir­atory Assessment

Depth
Deep, shallow
Rhythm
Regular, irregular
Effort
Unlabored, labored
Expansion
Symmet­rical, asymme­trical
Cough
Produc­tive, nonpro­duc­tive, absent
Lung sounds
Clear, advent­itious, dimini­shed, absent
 

Metadata

  • Languages:
  • Published: 18th October, 2022

Comments

No comments yet. Add yours below!

Add a Comment

Your Comment

Please enter your name.

    Please enter your email address

      Please enter your Comment.

          Related Cheat Sheets

          FREQUENTLY USED DX CODES Cheat Sheet
          Drug Classes & Actions : NSAIDs Cheat Sheet