Question

The nurse knows that bronchovesicular breath sounds are:

a. musical in quality.
b. usually pathological.
c. expected near the major airways.
d. similar to bronchial sounds except that they are shorter in duration.

Answer 1

Bronchovesicular breath sounds are expected near the major airways, have a moderate pitch and intensity, and are considered normal in the main bronchus area.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse knows that bronchovesicular breath sounds are expected near the major airways. These sounds are considered normal when heard over the main bronchus area and are intermediate between bronchial breath sounds (which are higher in pitch and longer) and vesicular breath sounds (which are heard over the rest of the lungs and are lower in pitch and softer). Bronchovesicular sounds have a moderate pitch and intensity and are often heard on both inhalation and exhalation. They are not usually a sign of pathology unless heard in areas where only vesicular sounds should be present, such as the lung periphery.