Question

A nurse auscultates a client's lungs and hears a fine crackling sound in the left lower lung during respiration. The nurse charts, "crackles and rhonchi in the left lower lung." What does this documentation represent?

A) Normal breath sounds
B) Wheezing due to bronchoconstriction
C) Fluid in the alveoli or airways
D) High-pitched musical sounds in the airways

Answer 1

The nurse's documentation of crackles and rhonchi in the left lower lung represents the presence of fluid in the alveoli or airways, indicative of a condition like pneumonia.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a nurse auscultates a client's lungs and hears a fine crackling sound, also known as crepitation, during respiration in the left lower lung, it indicates the presence of fluid in the alveoli or airways. This documentation does not represent normal breath sounds. Instead, the finding of crackles and rhonchi is suggestive of an underlying condition such as pneumonia, where the lungs may fill with mucus, as evidenced by the symptoms presented in similar cases and supported by clinical findings such as chest radiographs showing shadows indicative of fluid-filled pockets. Wheezing due to bronchoconstriction and high-pitched musical sounds would be characterized differently. Therefore, the correct answer is C) Fluid in the alveoli or airways.