Final answer:
A patient with 40 bowel sounds in 1 minute has hyperactive bowel sounds, indicating more frequent than normal activity that could suggest a gastrointestinal issue.
Step-by-step explanation:
The patient presenting with abdominal discomfort and having 40 bowel sounds in a minute would have their bowel sounds documented as "hyperactive." This term is used to describe bowel sounds that are more frequent than normal. A typical range for bowel sounds is 5 to 30 per minute, so 40 is higher than the average. Increased or hyperactive bowel sounds can indicate a variety of conditions including gastrointestinal upset, gastroenteritis or an early bowel obstruction. In clinical settings, nurses and physicians often auscultate using a stethoscope to assess the state of a patient's bowels, heart, or lung sounds. When it comes to abdominal assessment, healthcare providers divide the abdomen into nine regions or four quadrants to describe the location of any findings accurately.