Final answer:
The best coughing technique to teach a patient with atelectasis and crackles upon auscultation is the huff cough. It facilitates the clearance of mucus by encouraging shallow exhalations with an open airway, appropriate for patients with reduced mobility.
Step-by-step explanation:
Appropriate Coughing Technique for Atelectasis
When a patient develops atelectasis due to immobility and presents with crackles upon auscultation, it's crucial to encourage proper lung expansion and clearance of secretions. Among the various coughing techniques, the huff cough can be particularly effective for this purpose. The huff coughing technique involves taking a breath that is slightly deeper than normal, using the stomach muscles to make a series of three rapid exhalations with the airway open, making a "ha, ha, ha" sound. This helps to move mucus up toward the larger airways from the smaller ones, facilitating its removal. Other techniques, such as chest percussion, can be an adjunct to coughing but may require another person to help.
The cascade cough, intended to move mucus up to the upper airways by a series of small coughs lead by bigger ones, is not as suitable for clearing secretions in the case of atelectasis due to immobility. The quad cough, which involves pressing down on the diaphragm, is often used for patients with neurological conditions affecting the abdominal muscles, and thus may not be the first choice for this scenario. The huff cough is usually more appropriate, unless contraindicated.