Example of abdomen is compared to assessment of thorax-lungs

Reference no: EM133658084

Assignment:

Discussion

Physical assessments are specific to each body system. While all assessments share common features, including inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation, each system has variations depending on what is being assessed. In this example, assessment of the abdomen is compared to assessment of the thorax and lungs. The first difference between assessment of these systems is the order in which data is collected. For the thorax and lungs, the standard assessment order of inspection, palpation, percussion, then auscultation should be followed. However, for the abdomen, the assessment should start with inspection, followed by auscultation, then percussion, and end with palpation. The order is different for the abdomen because applying pressure to the abdomen could alter bowel sounds (Kelley & Weber, 2022).

For inspection, the assessment of both the abdomen and the thorax and lungs notes any changes in skin coloration. For palpation, both assessments identify any masses under the skin and tenderness. One additional aspect of palpation for the thorax and lungs that is not included in assessment of the abdomen includes checking for crepitus and fremitus. In percussion, both assessments identify different areas of resonance versus dullness which indicates positioning of internal structures. For the thorax and lungs, identifying dullness in percussion is indicative of the diaphragm while resonance is indicative of the lungs. In the abdomen, finding dullness in percussion signifies the position of the liver, spleen, and kidneys. Hearing resonance in percussion indicates areas with air, including the intestines, stomach, or bladder (Kelley & Weber, 2022).

During auscultation for both types of assessments, abnormal findings will usually require an extended period of listening in comparison with normal findings. For auscultation of the abdomen, the nurse should identify bowel sounds in all four quadrants, moving clockwise (Kelley & Weber, 2022). When auscultating the thorax and lungs, a specific pattern is used to compare each side of the lungs to each other, moving back and forth. This pattern can help identify abnormal, or adventitious, sounds (Mauldin, 2024). In the abdomen, an abnormal finding would be a reduced sound or the absence of any bowel sounds (Kelley & Weber, 2022). In the thorax and lungs, abnormal findings are more specific. These adventitious sounds include different types such as rhonchi, wheezes, crackles, or diminished sounds (Mauldin, 2024).

References

Kelley, J., & Weber, J. (2022). The Nurse's Role in Health Assessment. In Health Assessment in Nursing (7th ed., pp. 395-519). Wolters Kluwer.

Mauldin, A. (2024). Auscultation: What Is It, How to Perform It, and More. Osmosis this is what is needed: please respond to this discussion in a minimum of 100-150 words, review at least one of your classmates' posts and follow up with a comment, constructive feedback, and/or questions. When you respond to your classmate, approach it as a collegial dialogue.

Reference no: EM133658084

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