In a throat examination, a client says the word “ninety-nine.” What respiratory assessment is being done by the nurse?

The assessment being conducted when the client says the word “ninety-nine” is known as bronchophony. This technique involves the nurse listening to the patient's voice sounds using a stethoscope to assess for the clarity and transmission of vocal sounds through lung tissue. When a healthy individual speaks, the sound is usually muffled due to air in the lungs. However, if there is an underlying lung condition such as pneumonia or consolidation, the voice sounds can become much clearer and distinct.

In the context of this assessment, saying “ninety-nine” allows the nurse to evaluate the quality of sound transmission through the lung fields, which can indicate the presence of issues like lung consolidation, where normal lung air content changes to denser lung tissue. This makes bronchophony a valuable tool for identifying possible respiratory conditions.

The other options refer to different techniques for assessing lung sounds. Vocal fremitus involves palpating vibrations in the chest wall as the patient speaks, while egophony refers to the change in voice sounds when a patient says “ee,” which can change to a nasal “ay” if there is a problem. Whispered pectoriloquy assesses the clarity of whispered sounds heard through the stethoscope. Each of these techniques examines different aspects