Take 6 Deep Breaths

When children are repeatedly asked to take deep breaths during auscultation of the lungs, they often get discouraged after the second request. To overcome this problem, ask young patients to take 6 deep breaths. Giving them an end point to aim for produces a better response. Six deep breaths will suffice for most regular examinations—3 for each lung field. If you need to, you can ask for 1 or 2 more.
—Eric Lim, MD
  Mulberry, Fla

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