Lung Sounds
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Smash
Forum Asst. Chief
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Every day on most patients.
Sandman-EMT
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abckidsmom
Dances with Patients
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I try to be in the habit of fully assessing at least everyone I do ALS treatment on. Or everyone I put on the sat probe/BP cuff monitor.
It's easy to slip into slacking off...I just have a quick listen of lungs, heart sounds, and bowel sounds every time, so I'm quicker if it matters, and so I can easily recognize something significant in heart sounds.
Off topic, I had a physician friend tell me about somebody's magic rhombus...it's a reference from House of God, unbutton the 2 middle buttons on a shirt and you can listen to everything from that rhombus. Can anyone remember whose magic rhombus that was?
It's easy to slip into slacking off...I just have a quick listen of lungs, heart sounds, and bowel sounds every time, so I'm quicker if it matters, and so I can easily recognize something significant in heart sounds.
Off topic, I had a physician friend tell me about somebody's magic rhombus...it's a reference from House of God, unbutton the 2 middle buttons on a shirt and you can listen to everything from that rhombus. Can anyone remember whose magic rhombus that was?
JPINFV
Gadfly
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Talking about the Surgeon's Point?
abckidsmom
Dances with Patients
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Probably, but it had a catchy name, loaded with sarcasm and humor in the book.
Aidey
Community Leader Emeritus
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Scruffy's Rhomboid Space. Formed by unbuttoning the 4th button down.
/Kindle + search.
/Kindle + search.
LucidResq
Forum Deputy Chief
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Pretty much every patient, except those with isolated extremity injuries. They're quick and give you an opportunity to assess more than just breath sounds. You can get a better idea of their skin condition, respiratory rate and effort, etc etc without totally creeping them out or scaring them. It's a pretty familiar procedure for anyone who's ever seen a doctor.
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truetiger
Forum Asst. Chief
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I listen to lung sounds on every patient I do any kind of vital signs on. It gives you a good baseline of what normal is.
Frozennoodle
Sir Drinks-a-lot
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I make it a habit to do a full patient assessment on anyone. It's great practice and it really helps out when you're trying to quickly asses a critical patient. I even do them on my routine transports. Not only does it help keep my skills sharp, it teaches me what is normal for my regular patients and what isn't.
StickySideDown
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Couldn't have said it better, minus Psych PT's , those I baby sit in the back of the ambulance and make sure they wear their seat belt.
JPINFV
Gadfly
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Within reason, they should be getting a full exam too. After all, are you sure that the problem is just neurological in origin and not caused by something else?
StickySideDown
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Eh, should have worded it better.
For example our good ole frequent fliers, that call daily for a ride to the hospital because they might hurt someone, when really its a ride to the hospital for food and a bed. Those get baby sat for the most part.
For example our good ole frequent fliers, that call daily for a ride to the hospital because they might hurt someone, when really its a ride to the hospital for food and a bed. Those get baby sat for the most part.
abckidsmom
Dances with Patients
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Thanks.
I do it "Chief's Way".....
So, I am new... just a couple of years in the service and the whole time I have worked for the same Chief. He likes to say "My first ambulance was a hearse"... This is not to say he is "Old School" he is actually very progressive and plays a large role in regional and state EMS. And, he is a terrific medic.
So, given all of that, and combined with my humility I did not feel as though I have any grounds to do anything "my" way... I have no way... So, I do everything the chiefs way for the most part, and that includes my run report. And, in my run report I write that I check lung sounds, so therefor... I do. I do a head to toe on every patient, just like the book says and just like our run reports are supposed to reflect.
I hope (maybe?) that someday I will break free from the binds of education and my current leadership, but for now I get zero questions on my run reports or patient care.
And, if you know what you are listening for lung sounds can of course be a part of a meaningful assessment.
So, I am new... just a couple of years in the service and the whole time I have worked for the same Chief. He likes to say "My first ambulance was a hearse"... This is not to say he is "Old School" he is actually very progressive and plays a large role in regional and state EMS. And, he is a terrific medic.
So, given all of that, and combined with my humility I did not feel as though I have any grounds to do anything "my" way... I have no way... So, I do everything the chiefs way for the most part, and that includes my run report. And, in my run report I write that I check lung sounds, so therefor... I do. I do a head to toe on every patient, just like the book says and just like our run reports are supposed to reflect.
I hope (maybe?) that someday I will break free from the binds of education and my current leadership, but for now I get zero questions on my run reports or patient care.
And, if you know what you are listening for lung sounds can of course be a part of a meaningful assessment.