| Rales/Crackles | Simulated by rolling hair near ear between two fingers, best heard on inspiration in lower bases, unrelieved by coughing, (e.g., CHF, pneumonia). |
| Wheezes | High-pitched, squeaking sound, best heard on expiration over all lung fields, unrelieved by coughing (e.g., asthma, COPD, emphysema). |
| Rhonchi | Coarse, harsh, loud gurgling or rattling, best heard on expiration over bronchi and trachea, often relieved by coughing (e.g., bronchitis, pneumonia). |
| Stridor | Life-Threatening! Harsh, high-pitched, easily audible on inspiration, progressive narrowing of upper airway requiring immediate attention (e.g., partial airway obstruction, croup, epiglottitis). |
| Unilaterally Absent or Diminished | Inability to hear equal, bilateral breath sounds (e.g., pneumothorax, tension pneumothorax, hemothorax, or history of pneumectomy). |
| Documentation | Rate, rhythm, depth, effort, sounds (indicate if sound is inspiratory and/or expiratory), and fields of auscultation. |