In a trauma exam, crackles are best described as indicating fluid in the...

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In a trauma exam, crackles are best described as indicating fluid in the...

Crackles are brief, popping sounds heard on inspiration that come from air trying to move through fluid-filled small airways and alveoli. When fluid accumulates in the alveolar spaces—such as in pulmonary edema or a lung contusion from trauma—the walls and openings of the tiny air sacs splash open and shut, creating those crackling sounds. That’s why crackles are a clue to fluid in the alveoli. Fluid in the pleural space tends to dampen breath sounds and cause dullness rather than crackles; sounds from the bronchioles usually present as wheezes or rhonchi from narrowed airways; and the diaphragm mainly affects the mechanics of breathing rather than producing crackling sounds. So crackles best indicate fluid in the alveoli.

Crackles are brief, popping sounds heard on inspiration that come from air trying to move through fluid-filled small airways and alveoli. When fluid accumulates in the alveolar spaces—such as in pulmonary edema or a lung contusion from trauma—the walls and openings of the tiny air sacs splash open and shut, creating those crackling sounds. That’s why crackles are a clue to fluid in the alveoli. Fluid in the pleural space tends to dampen breath sounds and cause dullness rather than crackles; sounds from the bronchioles usually present as wheezes or rhonchi from narrowed airways; and the diaphragm mainly affects the mechanics of breathing rather than producing crackling sounds. So crackles best indicate fluid in the alveoli.

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