What are doctors listening for when they put stethoscope on your back?

Take a deep breath. We use our stethoscope to listen to your lungs in different places on your chest and back, checking for things like infection or fluid in the lungs, or wheezing, which is caused by an abnormal tightness the tubes that bring air into the lungs (called bronchi).

What are you hearing when you used your stethoscope?

The diaphragm is a sealed membrane that vibrates, much like your own eardrum. When it does, it moves the column of air inside the stethoscope tube up and down, which in turn moves air in and out of your ear canal, and voila, you hear sound.

What does sound mean when using a stethoscope?

Normally, two distinct sounds are heard through the stethoscope: a low, slightly prolonged “lub” (first sound) occurring at the beginning of ventricular contraction, or systole, and produced by closure of the mitral and tricuspid valves, and a sharper, higher-pitched “dup” (second sound), caused…

What are doctors listening for when they listen to your stomach?

This is to make sure nothing is too tender, too big, or too firm. Along with the tummy-touching, a doctor will want to examine your skin, the shape of your abdomen, and how it moves as you breathe in and out. The doctor will probably also listen to the abdomen, as some bowel problems can be heard with a stethoscope.

How does the stethoscope work?

But how does the stethoscope work? The disc and the tube of the stethoscope amplify small sounds such as the sound of a patient’s lungs, heart and other sounds inside the body, making them sound louder. The amplified sounds travel up the stethoscope’s tube to the earpieces that the doctor listens through.

What are normal heart sounds?

A normal heartbeat has two sounds, a lub (sometimes called S1) and a dub (S2). These sounds are caused by the closing of valves inside your heart. If there are problems in your heart, there may be additional or abnormal sounds.

What are the normal sounds of the heart explain what causes these sounds?

Heart sounds are created from blood flowing through the heart chambers as the cardiac valves open and close during the cardiac cycle. Vibrations of these structures from the blood flow create audible sounds — the more turbulent the blood flow, the more vibrations that get created.

Why do doctors check stomach with stethoscope?

They simply mean that the gastrointestinal tract is working. A health care provider can check abdominal sounds by listening to the abdomen with a stethoscope (auscultation). Most bowel sounds are harmless. However, there are some cases in which abnormal sounds can indicate a problem.

How do you check breathing with a stethoscope?

Holding it between the index and middle finger of your dominant hand, place the chest piece of the stethoscope flat on the patient’s chest using gentle pressure. Using a ‘stepladder’ approach (Fig 4a) listen to breath sounds on the anterior chest.

What does a doctor Listen to with a stethoscope?

Heart – the doctor uses the stethoscope to listen for what the heart sounds like; how often each sound occurs and how intense or loud is the sound. Abdomen – The doctor will check the abdomen to listen to the bowel sounds (which could be a swish, gurgle or nothing at all) to know what’s going on in the intestines.

What are the parts of a stethoscope and its function?

The chestpiece is the piece of the stethoscope that is placed on the patient’s skin. And the diaphragm is the device inside the chestpiece that allows the doctor to hear different frequency sounds.

How has the stethoscope changed over the years?

Even the tried-and-true stethoscope is evolving with technology: Electronic stethoscopes now help physicians hear your heart more easily through sound amplification and noise-canceling technology. Telemonitoring tools allow a physician to listen to your heartbeat remotely thanks to wireless technology. A tool that combines the stethoscope and

What does a cardiologist look for when listening to a heart murmur?

As a cardiologist, Dr. Le listens for several common abnormalities when he uses his stethoscope. Some of those are: A narrow valve, possibly due to aortic stenosis. If the patient has this condition, the doctor will be able to hear the murmur and tell what kind of valve is in trouble and evaluate the severity of the problem.