It’s So Quiet, You Can Hear a Carotid Bruit

To hear carotid bruits more clearly,ask patients to inhale deeply andhold their breath. A deep inhalationincreases intrathoracic pressure andvenous return to the heart. Theseconditions magnify the bruit; in addition,holding the breath preventsbreath sounds from drowning outthe bruit.-- Rodolfo Gonzales, MD
   Yuma, Ariz