Ladies lung auscultation

Ladies,when you're having your annual Physical with your doctor and it's time for him/her to listen to your back and you're wearing an opening to the front gown,do they lower the whole gown exposing your breasts to get to your bare skin or do they listen through the gown?Just curious.

My doctor will listen either through the gown or just open up the back of the gown. I had a physical last Monday and he reached his hand through the back of the gown to get bare skin to listen to my lungs.

My respiratory consultant always asks me to remove my top .

I've been In hospital for a few weeks now with pseudomonas in the lungs and bladder again. I've spent a long time in hdu . As I've had such high fevers I've wore very little . Cotton shorts and vest tops mainly . It's varied how I've been auscultated. Sometimes I've been asked to remove my top ( mostly by my consultant) other times they've listened by going up under the vest .

As I've said several times before, listening to the heart and lungs through clothes or a gown is crazy. It's like trying to enjoy a beautiful view with the curtains drawn. I never do it.

Like liquidsky I was taught never to listen to the lungs and heart over clothing regardless of the gender of the patient. It can be a bit awkward with female patients, but for the more modest incline I auscultate under their top or gown.

Auscultating via clothing does muffle and add additional breath sounds cause by the movement of the diaphragm on the material, which can mast other more quieter breath sounds, murmurs etc . where I work ITU ( ICU is the US version) you do need to listen for these and be aware of them.

With regards to listening to well endowed women I used the back of my hand holding the diaphragm to move the breast out of the way during auscultation. It’s a very simple and effective technique and places the patient at ease as you are not actually handing or holding her breast.

I have used this technique on numerous occasions and I do feel that it does place the woman at ease as you are not handling her breast per say.

I don't use gowns, so female patients for their annual examination are bare chested with breast exposed when heart and lung auscultation is performed (I allow to wear only pants, better nothing)

The gown at my dr. has a fold or something in the back where they just reach through and they can get to your back, even though the actual opening is in the front.

At my annual physical I am barechested for all of the auscultation.

The last time my gown was lowered to my waist but my bra was still on. The doctor did all the stuff at the top of my chest and back then asked me to remove my bra before listening under my left breast.

My bra was left off while she did all the points on my chest lying down. After that she did a breast exam and my gown was tied at the neck again to allow me to cover up for the rest of the exam. My bra stayed off until I dressed at the end.

At my only physical that I had at university level, I was fully clothed. The doctor just had me remove my jacket. In play exam I was bare chested

When you auscultate a female patient, do you want her standing or sitting on the exam table but with legs on it? Best position for me is standing aside the table so I can see both her back when I auscultate her lungs and her side chest with her breast while breathing, but also her legs and feet laying. I also auscultate her anterior chest in that position , I find it so hot.

And how about females like to be auscultated, standing or on the table.

I am sorry if I made some writing mistake as I am italian. Here in Italy it's very hard to find people interested in stething or female who like these practice (being stethed) and i am very unhappy for that. Anyway I like this site and I will go on writing and posting here as well reading your exciting posts. Thank you

In Italy the gown is rarely used, usually only before surgery you are presented with a gown to don, but otherwise is always street-clothes or - during hospital stay - in your own pj.

During auscultation of the lugs so with the steth pressed on your back you either help the doctor by pulling your garment over your shoulders, holding it in place with your hands, or - it's recent but it happen - you are asked to remove it. More often you just hold it out of the way.

Is usual if you wear a bottom up shirt or something that you hold it for the lugs auscultation and then open it completely for the heart examination. At least that is what happen to me most of the time.

I have several “annual physicals.” For my annual physical with our internist, I'm in a gown, opening in back. She just opens the gown while she's examining my lungs from the back. The gown is lowered completely when she examines my lungs from the front, and stays that way for my heart and breast exams.

My GYN has me in a paper vest, which opens in the front, and a lap drape. He auscultates my lungs from the back by inserting the steth under the edge of the vest. He sort of slips the front edges of the vest behind me when he listens to my lungs from the front and does my heart and seated breast exams. His heart and lung exams are cursory and he's not nearly as thorough as is the internist, but he doesn't need to be.

My endocrinologist does a more or less complete physical during one of the quarterly visits I have with him. It proceeds similarly to my annual physical from our internist for heart and lung exams.

I see my urologist two to three times per year in most years. He, or his PA, does a basic physical exam generally once per year. Again, for those visits, I am in a gown that opens in the back, but I know that I'm going to get the more complete exam if I'm asked to remove my bra when disrobing. The PA is more thorough than the urologist when it comes to the annual exam. Other visits are more focused on my urinary system and he doesn't typically do auscultation of anything other than my abdomen and femoral pulses, which is why my bra stays on for those visits.

In addition, I recently had orthopedic surgery, which required a pre-op physical. The orthopedic surgeon did the physical himself. He had my take off everything but my bra and panties and gave me a drape for my lap. He had me remove my bra for the lung and heart exams, did a very brief breast exam, then pulled the drape up over my breasts and bunched it underneath them for the rest of the exam.

For the most part, the auscultation has been done on bare skin on the back, and usually through the gown - or even just under the gown - for the front. I have not been asked to disrobe for that.

Even when I had bronchitis I was still auscultated with my shirt and bra on. During one annual, I was auscultated fully clothed. Then the doctor decided she was going to do a breast exam and gave me a gown and said to remove my shirt and bra.

Attenuation through light clothing or a gown or light clothing can be 5-15 dB according to NIH. This can be overcome by slightly increased pressure of the stethoscope.

I don't have a annual physical. All my doctor appointments are regular. All the time I am stethed over clothes. That's how chest auscultation works in general in my country. Atleast in the OP appointments.

Attenuation through light clothing or a gown or light clothing can be 5-15 dB according to NIH. This can be overcome by slightly increased pressure of the stethoscope.

I would really like to understand what does this mean. Does this mean that heart/lung sounds are not clear when stethed over clothes?

I wonder how doctors listen and judge in cultures where exposing of chest is not a general practice. My country for example

I would really like to understand what does this mean. Does this mean that heart/lung sounds are not clear when stethed over clothes?

I wonder how doctors listen and judge in cultures where exposing of chest is not a general practice. My country for example

@Patient_Shruti It means the sound is slightly muted (less) through light clothing but that can be compensated for by pushing a little harder on the stethoscope. So stething through light clothing is not a problem.

I would really like to understand what does this mean. Does this mean that heart/lung sounds are not clear when stethed over clothes?

I wonder how doctors listen and judge in cultures where exposing of chest is not a general practice. My country for example

And have you ever been only in your underwear during your physical examinations?

@Rigel thanks for the explanation.

@icheckyourfeet physical is not common here. But I have anyways never had an appointment where I have to be just in underwear. Even for gynec appointment we get a gown. So exposing for auscultation is even rare. Hence I had this question