Vet Assistants’ Course Physiology Determining Respiratory Rates

VETERINARY ASSISTANTS’ COURSE

PHYSIOLOGY

LECTURE C17: DETERMINING RESPIRATORY RATES

INTRODUCTION

1. Respiratory rate is determined visually or by auscultation by counting either inspirations

or expirations.

AIM

2. The aim of this lesson is to teach students about determination of respiratory rates and
abnormal respiratory sounds.

SCOPE

3. The lesson will cover the following:

a) Applied Anatomy
b) Normal Breathing
c) Respiratory Auscultation
d) Percussion
e) Conclusion

APPLIED ANATOMY

4. The lower airway is composed of the trachea and the right and left lungs. The lungs lie
within the thorax which is bounded by pairs of ribs, thoracic vertebrae and the
diaphragm. In addition to the lungs, the chest contains the heart, the major blood vessels,
the esophagus, the pleura and the thymus.

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Vet Assistants’ Course Physiology Determining Respiratory Rates

NORMAL BREATHING

5. In normal cattle there is relatively little movement of the rib cage during respiration.
Some movement of the abdominal muscles is usually seen just behind the rib cage during
each inspiration, and this should be symmetrical. In healthy animals breathing is normally
costo-abdominal, with a small thoracic component and a small abdominal component.
6. Counting breaths by observation of rib movements at the costal arch and the flank from a
position behind and to one side of the animal is the most reliable way to obtain the
respiration rate. Count the number of breaths for fifteen seconds and multiply by four to
obtain the number of breaths per minute (BPM).
7. It is preferable to have the animal in the standing position, as abnormalities can be
modified by recumbency and may be missed. On a cold winter’s day the respiratory rate
can be counted accurately by observing the plume of condensation from the nostrils on
expiration.

RESPIRATORY AUSCULTATION

8. A good stethoscope is necessary to evaluate the respiratory rates and breathing sounds
and detect abnormal sounds within the chest. It is important to try to reduce or eliminate
background noises, such as tractor engines or milking machines, which are common on
most farms.

Table 1: Normal respiratory rates of domestic animals

SER SPECIES NORMAL RESPIRATORY RATES (BPM)

1 Horse 10-14
2 Cattle 26-50
3 Pig 32-58
4 Sheep 16-34
5 Goat 25-35
6 Dog 18-34
7 Cat 16-40

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Vet Assistants’ Course Physiology Determining Respiratory Rates

9. During auscultation the stethoscope should be moved systematically to cover the whole
of thoracic lung fields with the aim of identifying any abnormal sounds present, their
location and their occurrence in relation to the respiratory cycle.
10. Listen for noisy breathing at mouth and nares without stethoscope, and then auscultate at
least four different areas of the chest, including right and left ventral and right and left
dorsal lung fields.
11. Assess the :
a) Depth and effort – watch degree of chest movement (normal, shallow, deep)
b) Character – note sounds and any difficulty on inspiration and/or expiration
12. Normal respiratory sounds should be vesicular/bronchial (soft, breezy/rustling sounds).
Abnormal lung sounds can be
a) Wheezes’ (continuous high pitched hissing heard more often on expiration) –
occur with small airway diseases such as asthma
b) ‘Rales/crackles’ (course to fine - discontinuous, non-musical, brief sounds
heard more commonly on inspiration) – may be heard when fluid in the lungs
c) Rhonchi’ (musical sounds-low or high pitched) ‘
d) Dull’ lung sounds may indicate pneumonia, or consolidation
13. Absence of breath sounds may indicate pleural space disease (pleural effusion) or space-
occupying lesions. Loud breathing indicates large airway disease (nasal passages,
trachea, larynx/pharynx). Inspiratory noise or difficulty points towards indicates an extra
thoracic airway disease (esp. the larynx). Expiratory noise or difficulty shows
intrathoracic tracheal disease. Rapid/shallow breathing may indicate pleural space
disease (fluid or air). Difficulty breathing on both inspiration and expiration is a sign of
lung disease.
14. Posturing is a very late sign of respiratory disease: may be standing or sitting with back
arched, neck extended, and elbows out and will be reluctant to lie down. Other signs
include exaggerated chest or abdominal movements on inspiration, open-mouth breathing
and flared nostrils. In extreme cases the animal may become cyanotic. (Fig 1) Any
abnormal lung sounds or perceived abnormalities in respiratory rate or effort should be
further evaluated by a supervising veterinarian.

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Vet Assistants’ Course Physiology Determining Respiratory Rates

Figure 1: Clinical signs associated with Figure 2 & 3: Methods of percussion

respiratory system

PERCUSSION

15. In percussion the body surface is tapped. The audible sounds produced vary with the
density of the tissue set in vibration. As with auscultation it is only possible to percuss a
portion of the lung region because much of the anterior lung field is covered by the
forelimb.
16. There are four methods of percussion available:
a) Tapping the thoracic wall with the fingers held slightly flexed. This method is
simple and easy to perform and is illustrated in Fig. 2.
b) Placing the fingers flat against the chest wall and tapping the fingers with the
fingers of the other hand vigorously. This can be quite painful to the operator,
particularly on a cold winter morning.
c) Placing a flat oblong piece of plastic such as a plastic ruler (the plexor) flat
against the body wall and hitting it with small rubber hammer or spoon (the
pleximeter). This is a useful method, although it may startle the animal at the
beginning of the procedure; it is illustrated in Fig.3.

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Vet Assistants’ Course Physiology Determining Respiratory Rates

d) Transthoracic percussion. One side of the chest, for example the left side, is
repeatedly percussed at a single location over the left dorsal lung field whilst
the entire right lung field is systematically auscultated. As the stethoscope is
moved over the right lung field any changes in resonance of the right lung
field will be detected. The sides percussed and auscultated are then reversed.
This method can be most usefully performed on calves.

CONCLUSION

17. The respiratory rate, character, depth and effort are an indicator of the state of the
respiratory system.