auscultation
Hearing body sounds
Auscultation is the medical practice of listening to internal body sounds, typically using a stethoscope.
Doctors perform auscultation to assess the heart, lungs, and intestines, listening for abnormalities like murmurs, irregular rhythms, or fluid buildup.
The physician's auscultation revealed a heart murmur that warranted further testing.
The term comes from a Latin word meaning to listen, and the practice remains a fundamental diagnostic technique despite advances in imaging technology.
Harsh, whistling respiration
- cracklesMakes snapping sounds
- stridorTurbulent airway noise
- inspirationSource of creative impulse
- expirationEnd of validity
breath sounds · inhalation · exhalation · vesicular · bronchial · diminished · adventitious · pneumonia
Soft, indistinct continuous sound
- gallopSwiftest quadruped gait
- rubApply friction manually
- clickBrief sharp noise
- arrhythmiaAbnormal cardiac rhythm
mitral · aortic · tricuspid · pulmonic · regurgitation · stenosis · ejection · systolic
Medical listening instrument
- diaphragmMuscle separating chest, abdomen
- bellHollow resonating instrument
- chestpieceStethoscope's sound collector
- earpiecesIn-ear listening devices
tubing · palpation · percussion · inspection · Korotkoff sounds · placement · pressure · acoustic
Involuntary digestive muscle waves
- bruitSpread by word-of-mouth
- ileusIntestinal paralysis condition
- obstructionSomething blocking the way
- hyperactiveExcessively energetic, easily distracted
vascular · renal artery · aortic · femoral · intestinal
Medical evaluation of body
- diagnosisIdentification of illness
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
- vital signsMeasurable life indicators
- blood pressureCirculatory force measurement
patient care · medical practice · findings · documentation · abnormal · normal · evaluation · screening
Instruction for future physicians
- medical studentsPhysicians in training
- simulationImitation of real processes
- practiceRepeated work toward mastery
- competencySufficient ability for something
preceptor · residency · teaching · demonstration · feedback · proficiency
wheezing
Harsh, whistling respiration
- cracklesMakes snapping sounds
- stridorTurbulent airway noise
- inspirationSource of creative impulse
breath sounds · expiration · inhalation · exhalation · vesicular · bronchial · diminished · adventitious · pneumonia · asthma
murmur
Soft, indistinct continuous sound
arrhythmia · mitral · aortic · tricuspid · pulmonic · regurgitation · stenosis · ejection · systolic · diastolic
stethoscope
Medical listening instrument
- diaphragmMuscle separating chest, abdomen
- bellHollow resonating instrument
- chestpieceStethoscope's sound collector
earpieces · tubing · palpation · percussion · inspection · Korotkoff sounds · placement · pressure · acoustic · systematic
peristalsis
Involuntary digestive muscle waves
- bruitSpread by word-of-mouth
- ileusIntestinal paralysis condition
- obstructionSomething blocking the way
hyperactive · vascular · renal artery · aortic · femoral · intestinal
physical examination
Medical evaluation of body
- diagnosisIdentification of illness
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
- vital signsMeasurable life indicators
blood pressure · patient care · medical practice · findings · documentation · abnormal · normal · evaluation · screening · differential
medical education
Instruction for future physicians
- medical studentsPhysicians in training
- simulationImitation of real processes
- practiceRepeated work toward mastery
competency · preceptor · residency · teaching · demonstration · feedback · proficiency
auscultationimaging
Producing visual representations
radiography · X-ray · MRI · CT scan · fluoroscopy