What are bronchial breath sounds?

• A. Heard in the peripheral lung fields; inspiration is louder than expiration.
• B. Heard in the trachea; inspiration is quieter than expiration.
• C. Heard in the upper sternum; inspiration is equal to expiration.
• D. Not audible in healthy individuals.

Answer: (B)

Bronchial breath sounds come from air moving through the large airways. They are high-pitched, loud, and have a harsh quality, with the expiratory phase longer and louder than the inspiratory phase. They’re normally heard over the trachea and main bronchi; in healthy lungs you hear vesicular sounds in the peripheral lungs. So the description that matches is that these sounds are heard in the trachea and that inspiration is quieter than expiration. If you hear bronchial-type sounds in the peripheral lung fields, it often signals an abnormality such as consolidation.