What You Should Know About Bibasilar Crackles:
Bibasilar crackles are very common. They occur mostly in the chest area. They are caused by inhaling air with high carbon dioxide content from a closed or partially closed mouth. There are two types of bibasilar crackle – one which occurs only at rest, and another type which occurs while sleeping (coughing).
Both types have different symptoms.
The first type of bibasilar crackle occurs during sleep. It is usually heard only in the night time. This type of bibasilar crackle is called “sleepy” because it does not cause any other symptoms like sneezing, coughing, or wheeze. It may be felt only in the upper body and lower back region.
The second type of bibasilar crackle occurs when someone lies down and breathes in high carbon dioxide content air. This type of bibasilar crackle is called “breathing” because it causes no other symptoms besides feeling lightheaded. It may be felt in the chest, arms, legs, neck, face and jaw region.
In both cases the person will feel tiredness after the occurrence of these sounds. This tiredness can be treated with rest. If the bibasilar crackles get worse, a follow-up by a medical doctor should be considered.
Bibasilar crackles can become painful sometimes. This can be treated with decongestants and increased intake of liquids. If the bibasilar crackles cause coughing, it is recommended to drink more liquids as well.
The cause of bibasilar crackles can sometimes be serious. Sometimes they are caused by smoking or other lung diseases. If you think you have bibasilar crackles, please consult a medical doctor right away. The main risks of bibasilar crackles are superinfection (pneumonia), dehydration and exhaustion.
Please rest as soon as possible and avoid strenuous activity.
How can bibasilar crackles be prevented?
There are no certain ways to prevent this condition. However, you can avoid becoming dehydrated and exhausted by drinking more liquids and resting as soon as possible if you experience this condition. In addition, stop whatever activity that causes the condition to worsen.
There are many myths about bibasilar crackles. For example, one of them says they can be caused by dryness in the airways. This is not true. Bibasilar crackles are caused by small airways contracting and expanding due to changes in the environment.
If the dryness were the cause of bibasilar crackles, they would not be heard only when inhaling, but also when exhaling.
Bibasilar crackles are not serious in most cases. In fact, they can go away on their own without any medical treatment. If you have bibasilar crackles and no other symptoms, you shouldn’t worry. However, you should still consult a medical doctor just to be sure.
Other names: bibasilar crepitations, bibasilar crackles.
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Keeping your patient HemO dynamically stable by J MILLER – Nursing2019, 2007 – journals.lww.com
What you need to know about sepsis by S Wood, MC Lavieri, T Durkin – Nursing2019, 2007 – journals.lww.com
Entangled Time Hops: Doomsday Clocks, Pandemics, and Qualitative Research’s Responsibility by SA Shelton – Qualitative Inquiry, 2020 – journals.sagepub.com
Delayed COVID Respiratory Failure: What every front line healthcare worker needs to know by MS Hedges, KD Jackson, GV Matcha… – … Journal of Internal …, 2020 – content.sciendo.com
