That makes it easier to cough the mucus out of the lungs. This Stanford Medicine 25 video was created in conjunction with Stanford's AIM lab teaching the percussion of the chest when examining the lungs. That makes it easier to cough the mucus out of the lungs. The percussion should be relatively vigorous and rhythmic, but it should not be painful. Percussion . Chest percussion is a form of physical therapy used frequently in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other conditions, such as cystic fibrosis, to help clear the airways from mucus. For chest organs, clavicles, ribs, intercostal spaces, vertebrae and vertical lines (anterior middle, right and left sternal, parasternal, middling, anterior, middle, posterior axillary, scapula, posterior median line) serve for the organs of the thorax. The use of an electronic stethoscope with computerised analysis of the lung sounds might improve diagnostic accuracy. Since lungs are mostly filled with air that we breathe in, percussion performed over most of the lung area produces a resonant sound, which is a low pitched, hollow sound. It is performed with the aim of loosening thick, sticky or retained secretions from the chest wall[1]. The entire lung paren-chyma is shaped by an elastic subpleural tissue that limits its expansion. Chest percussion can be performed while standing, sitting upright, reclining, or lying down on a firm, flat surface. Percussion . Ask your therapist or healthcare provider which position is right for you. This is the fourth chapter of 5 in the series for the examination of the respiratory system.These examination procedures contain narration explaining: a. In order to listen to the lungs from the back the patient is asked to move their arms forward to prevent the scapulae (shoulder blades) from obstructing the upper lung fields. You are reporting a typo in the following text: Diseases of the mammary glands (mammology), Diseases of the joints, muscles and connective tissue (rheumatology), Diseases of the immune system (immunology), Diseases of the heart and blood vessels (cardiology), Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (dermatology), Diseases of the lungs, bronchi and pleura (pulmonology), Diseases of the ear, throat and nose (otolaryngology), Diseases of the endocrine system and metabolic disorders (endocrinology), Sexually transmitted infections (sexually transmitted diseases), Diseases of the nervous system (neurology), Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastroenterology), PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction, PCR Diagnostics), There is a method to cancel insulin injections for diabetics. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Percussion or tapping on the chest is the final aspect of a comprehensive lung exam. Percussion is a method of tapping on a surface to determine the underlying structures, and is used in clinical examinations to assess the condition of the thorax or abdomen. Complications are unusual but may include: Your doctor or respiratory therapist will give you specific instructions on how and when to have someone perform chest percussion on you. They will then quickly and repeatedly clap you on the back of the chest with their hand. Appreciatethe dullness of the left anterior chest due to heart and right lower chest due to liver. The hand is cupped as if to hold water but with the palm facing down (as shown in the figure below). The use of an electronic stethoscope with computerised analysis of the lung sounds might improve diagnostic accuracy. Just as lightly tapping on a container with your hands produces various sounds, so tapping on the chest wall produces sounds based on the amount of air in the lungs. COPD is a group of lung diseases that blocks airflow and makes it difficult to breathe. Note that the procedure shouldn't be performed on bare skin. All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible. COPD. Percussion: Penetrates 5 - 6 centimeters into the chest cavity. So for percussion, any air filled cavity will sound resonant (pneumothorax, normal lung). Hyperresonant sounds may also be heard when percussing lungs hyperinflated with air, such as may occur in patients with COPD, or patients having an acute asthmatic attack. Alternate method is mapping Kronig’s isthmus. 1. emphysema of lungs 2. cavern of lung 3. abscess of lung 4. pneumothorax 5. bronchial asthma 6. asthmatic bronchitis. Chest percussion works best after a bronchodilator treatment, so you might want to keep that in mind. Tympanic sounds are hollow, high, drumlike sounds. Postural drainage is best done on an empty stomach. Pulmonology. We […] When examining the back of the chest, sit the patient upright, on a chair or a bed, so that you can sit or stand behind them (figure 25).The procedure follows the same order described above: inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation, using identical techniques. Symmetrical reduction: overinflated lungs (eg, bronchial asthma, emphysema), stiff lungs (eg, pulmonary fibrosis), ankylosing spondylitis. An area of hyperresonance on one side of the chest may indicate a pneumothorax. The vibrations help release mucus.