Listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope
For the ancient monasterial worker, see Auscultare.
Auscultation
A doctor auscultating a patient's abdomen
MeSH
D001314
MedlinePlus
002226
[edit on Wikidata]
Emily's heartbeat
Sounds heard on auscultation of a healthy 16-year-old's heart while holding her breath, as heard with a stethoscope at the tricuspid valve
Problems playing this file? See media help.
Auscultation (based on the Latin verb auscultare "to listen") is listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope. Auscultation is performed for the purposes of examining the circulatory and respiratory systems (heart and breath sounds), as well as the alimentary canal.
The term was introduced by René Laennec. The act of listening to body sounds for diagnostic purposes has its origin further back in history, possibly as early as Ancient Egypt. Auscultation and palpation go together in physical examination and are alike in that both have ancient roots, both require skill, and both are still important today. Laënnec's contributions were refining the procedure, linking sounds with specific pathological changes in the chest, and inventing a suitable instrument (the stethoscope) to mediate between the patient's body and the clinician's ear.
Auscultation is a skill that requires substantial clinical experience, a fine stethoscope and good listening skills. Health professionals (doctors, nurses, etc.) listen to three main organs and organ systems during auscultation: the heart, the lungs, and the gastrointestinal system. When auscultating the heart, doctors listen for abnormal sounds, including heart murmurs, gallops, and other extra sounds coinciding with heartbeats. Heart rate is also noted. When listening to lungs, breath sounds such as wheezes, crepitations and crackles are identified. The gastrointestinal system is auscultated to note the presence of bowel sounds.
Electronic stethoscopes can be recording devices, and can provide noise reduction and signal enhancement. This is helpful for purposes of telemedicine (remote diagnosis) and teaching. This opened the field to computer-aided auscultation. Ultrasonography (US) inherently provides capability for computer-aided auscultation, and portable US, especially portable echocardiography, replaces some stethoscope auscultation (especially in cardiology), although not nearly all of it (stethoscopes are still essential in basic checkups, listening to bowel sounds, and other primary care contexts).
Emily's heartbeat Sounds heard on auscultation of a healthy 16-year-old's heart while holding her breath, as heard with a stethoscope at the tricuspid...
The triangle of auscultation is a relative thinning of the musculature of the back, situated along the medial border of the scapula which allows for improved...
The stethoscope is a medical device for auscultation, or listening to internal sounds of an animal or human body. It typically has a small disc-shaped...
reflect the turbulence created when the heart valves snap shut. In cardiac auscultation, an examiner may use a stethoscope to listen for these unique and distinct...
respiratory system. These may be easily audible or identified through auscultation of the respiratory system through the lung fields with a stethoscope...
inspection of the patient and the visible characteristics of their abdomen. Auscultation (listening) of the abdomen with a stethoscope. Palpation of the patient's...
technique of immediate auscultation – listening to the heart by placing the ear directly on the chest, with mediate auscultation using the stethoscope...
Auscultation, a medical neurological procedure, can be performed upon the skull to check for intracranial bruits. Such a bruit may be found in such conditions...
measurement of vital signs; inspection and palpation, percussion and auscultation, pulmonary examination, abdominal examination and peripheral vascular...
per minute (BPM). Use of this monitor is sometimes known as Doppler auscultation. The Doppler fetal monitor is commonly referred to simply as a Doppler...
trade-offs in accuracy versus convenience. A stethoscope is required for auscultation (see below). Manual meters are best used by trained practitioners, and...
steps of the respiratory exam are inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation of respiratory sounds, normally first carried out from the back of the...
during exhalation. They are usually heard only with a stethoscope ("on auscultation"). Pulmonary crackles are abnormal breath sounds that were formerly referred...
is a type of pectoriloquy. It is a general medical sign detected by auscultation. The patient is requested to repeat a word several times while the provider...
the patient. The techniques used may include inspection, palpation, auscultation and percussion in addition to the "vital signs" of temperature, blood...
through a stethoscope during sudden movement of the patient on abdominal auscultation. It reflects the presence of gas and fluid in an obstructed organ, as...
percussion, and auscultation. Although the steps are consistent across organ systems, the order may vary. Notably, for the abdominal exam, auscultation is performed...
A heartbeat Auscultation of a healthy 16-year-old girl's heartbeat Problems playing this file? See media help. The cardiac cycle is the performance of...
cases. There is a very low risk of pneumonia if all vital signs and auscultation are normal. C-reactive protein (CRP) may help support the diagnosis....
become subcutaneous and available for auscultation. The space is therefore known as the triangle of auscultation. The latissimus dorsi can be remembered...
Traditionally, a health-care worker measured blood pressure non-invasively by auscultation (listening) through a stethoscope for sounds in one arm's artery as the...
of the trachea can be identified. If a stethoscope is available, lung auscultation should be performed and, if possible, a pulse oximeter should be applied...
of the body were dissection of the dead and inspection, palpation and auscultation of the living. It was the advent of microscopy that opened up an understanding...
can be diagnosed by a combination of physical exam, percussion, and auscultation of the chest. However, these exam techniques can be complicated by a...
way health care providers examine the heart on physical exam is heart auscultation; another clinical technique is palpation, which can detect by touch when...
positioning of particular pieces of equipment (electromyography electrodes, auscultation, external landmarks used in clinical motion analysis or body surface...
Global Information
