when teaching to our housestaff trainees thoracocentesis that does not rely on chest percussion, namely, clavicle tapping with posterior chest auscultation. Stated simply, this technique takes advantage of the sound transmission characteristics of the inflated lung and the loss of sound transmission caused by the interposition of a layer of fluid between the air-filled lung and the chest wall. ...

An inspiratory musical sound ("squawk") was recorded in 14 patients with diffuse pulmonary fibrosis. These were divided into two groups: nine patients suffering from extrinsic allergic alveolitis (seven with bird fancier's lung and two with farmer's lung) and five patients with pulmonary fibrosis due to other causes, including rheumatoid disease, Wegener's granulomatosis, systemic sclerosis, an...

BACKGROUND Cyclic recruitment and de-recruitment of atelectasis (c-R/D) is a contributor to ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Bedside detection of this dynamic process could improve ventilator management. This study investigated the potential of automated lung sound analysis to detect c-R/D as compared to four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT). METHODS In ten piglets (25 ± 2 kg), ac...

To evaluate the effect of acute lung injury on the frequency spectra of breath sounds, we made serial acoustic recordings from nondependent, midlung and dependent regions of both lungs in ten 35- to 45-kg anesthetized, intubated, and mechanically ventilated pigs during development of acute lung injury induced with intravenous oleic acid in prone or supine position. Oleic acid injections rapidly...

Shame and guilt in lung cancer The stigma of lung cancer Dale Dirkse, BA (Hons); Janine Giese-Davis, PhD Abstract This 3-part Lung Cancer Supplement highlights progress in the management of lung cancer on the one hand, while reminding us of established challenges on the other. Ming-Sound Tsao, MD, FRCPC, sets the scene with a review of how molecular characterization has become the standard of c...

Liquefactive necrosis of the lung tissue caused by microbial infection, lung abscess is characterised by formation of cavities containing necrotic debris. In the vast majority of cases of lung abscess, polymicrobial bacteria can be found with predominance of anaerobes. Mycobacterium has been described as a very rare causative agent of community acquired lung abscess. We are presenting a case of...

A 69-year-old woman visited our hospital with a 2-month history of general fatigue, high fever, and dyspnea. Physical examination showed no abnormalities in superficial lymph nodes or respiratory sound. A chest computed tomography scan showed diffuse mild ground-glass attenuation in bilateral lung fields, whereas FDG-PET revealed intense uptake of FDG throughout the lung.

Stethoscope evaluation of the lungs is widely accepted and practiced; however, there are some widely recognized, major limitations with its use. A safe device that helped solve these limitations by translating sound into objective, quantifiable images would have clinical utility. Translating lung sounds into quantifiable images in which regional differences or asymmetry in intensities of breath...

Our knowledge of lung sounds is based largely on empirical observation. Laënnec (1) knew that the sounds heard by applying the ear directly to the chest provided useful information, and he was delighted when he found that a device intended to preserve decorum unexpectedly presented better information. With enormous industry, and with access to a large population of pulmonary patients both clini...