Question

While auscultating a client's chest, a nurse hears coarse crackles that are low-pitched and rumbling. The nurse interprets this finding as indicating which of the following?

a) Inflammation of pleural surfaces
b) Presence of fluid in the lungs
c) Presence of sputum in the airways
d) Air passing through narrowed airways

Answer 1

Coarse crackles that are low-pitched and rumbling when auscultating a client's chest typically indicate the presence of fluid in the lungs, suggesting pneumonia.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a nurse auscultates a client's chest and hears coarse crackles that are low-pitched and rumbling, it is interpreted as the presence of fluid in the lungs. Coarse crackles are typically heard in conditions where air is passing through fluid, secretions, or occasionally, occluded airways. The condition described in the student's question is likely pneumonia, where the inflammation primarily affects the alveoli which become filled with fluid, thus inhibiting gas exchange and producing the characteristic crackling sounds heard during auscultation.