Accuracy of chest auscultation in detecting abnormal respiratory mechanics in the immediate postoperative period after cardiac surgery

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the accuracy of chest auscultation in detecting abnormal respiratory mechanics. METHODS: We evaluated 200 mechanically ventilated patients in the immediate postoperative period after cardiac surgery. We assessed respiratory system mechanics - static compliance of the respiratory system (C(st),rs) and respiratory system resistance (R,rs) - after which two independent examiners, blinded to the respiratory system mechanics data, performed chest auscultation. RESULTS: Neither decreased/abolished breath sounds nor crackles were associated with decreased C(st),rs (≤ 60 mL/cmH(2)O), regardless of the examiner. The overall accuracy of chest auscultation was 34.0% and 42.0% for examiners A and B, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of chest auscultation for detecting decreased/abolished breath sounds or crackles were 25.1% and 68.3%, respectively, for examiner A, versus 36.4% and 63.4%, respectively, for examiner B. Based on the judgments made by examiner A, there was a weak association between increased R,rs (≥ 15 cmH(2)O/L/s) and rhonchi or wheezing (ϕ = 0.31, p < 0.01). The overall accuracy for detecting rhonchi or wheezing was 89.5% and 85.0% for examiners A and B, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for detecting rhonchi or wheezing were 30.0% and 96.1%, respectively, for examiner A, versus 10.0% and 93.3%, respectively, for examiner B. CONCLUSIONS: Chest auscultation does not appear to be an accurate diagnostic method for detecting abnormal respiratory mechanics in mechanically ventilated patients in the immediate postoperative period after cardiac surgery.