Vesicular Breath Sounds Page
Welcome to our vesicular breath sounds page. On this page we provide a definition of vesicular breath sounds and then we compare vesicular breath sounds to bronchial sounds using audio recordings and text. Finally, there is a link to the training lessons available on this site.
What Are Vesicular Breath Sounds?
Vesicular breath sounds are heard across the lung surface. They are lower-pitched, rustling sounds with higher intensity during inspiration. During expiration, sound intensity can quickly fade. Inspiration is normally 2-3 times the length of expiration.
Vesicular vs. Bronchial
Compare vesicular to bronchial breath sounds.
Vesicular
Listen to this vesicular audio recording.
Bronchial
Bronchial breath sounds are heard when auscultating over the large airways (e.g. second and third intercostal spaces). Notice the tubular, hollow sounds, which are louder and higher-pitched than vesicular breath sounds.