An incident with my friend: Auscultation question

My friend told me this today

She wasn't feeling too well and was feeling little short of breath so she decided to go to her GP nearby.

Apart from taking her pulse and BP and checking her throat when he began stething her she started breathing deep like anyone would.

The doctor smiled and said "You need not deep breath every time a stethoscope is placed. Breathe normally. I will tell you when to deep breathe"

Later he asked her to deep breathe.

He said it's nothing to worry it's just stess and she should rest. Her chest is clear.

This whole incident got me a question: What does the doctor check by stethoscope when asking to breathe normally?

Hi there,

Generally they only need you to take deep breaths when listening to your lungs.

But if they're listening to your heart, they need you to breathe normally most of the time.

Be well!

Wow I never knew that. That's new to me. I thought the same way my friend did: Stethoscope on chest means breathe deep.

Prettypatient, i remember how i learned not to breath deeply during heart auscultation. It was at a routine medical. When the doctor placed the steth on my chest i began to breath deeply as i thought that was what i was expected to do. Still listening, the doctor just raised his finger and said very quietly "Shhh". He simply shushed me into breathing normally. I felt as if i was his little puppy who he commanded by just raising his finger. i felt humiliated but i liked that because i love to feel the doctor's superiority over me. : ) So i never forgot that lesson; when the stethoscope is on the heart - no deep breaths.

Will remember it when I am auscultated next time

I've neve been told off for breathing wrongly when I'm being examined, but the doctor will tell me what to do. When they're listening to my lungs they'll tell me something along the lines of "I'm going to listen to your chest, please take deep breathes in and out for me and my chest moves up and down each time they place the stethoscope on me. "This time I want you to say 99 every time I move the stethoscope on you" and I say it as they listen in the same places on my chest and back. When they come to listen to my heart they'll say "I'm going to listen to your heart, please breathe in and out normally for me." Then finally later in the exam "I'm just going to have a listen to your tummy."

I sometimes received the order to stop breathing for few seconds when had my heart listened

I was once told to hold my breath too. It lasted just a few seconds but it surprised me and made me feel even more vulnerable and unable to hide from the doctor's scrutiny. My heart must have pounded like mad. I loved that.

I was once told to hold my breath too. It lasted just a few seconds but it surprised me and made me feel even more vulnerable and unable to hide from the doctor's scrutiny. My heart must have pounded like mad. I loved that.

I would love to be the doctor in this situation, listening to your pounding, vulnerable heartbeat.