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Be Sure to Percuss the Chest

In a recent Index of Suspicion,¹ the reader is presented with a brief case synopsis of a child who had pneumococcal pneumonia. The case presentation omits any reference to percussion of the chest either in the summarized clinical history or in the expanded discussion section. Chest percussion may have been performed but not mentioned by the authors because it would have revealed the outcome. However, I suspect it was not performed. I draw this conclusion from observations made in emergency departments, clinics, hospitals, and offices where chest percussion is not performed or, if performed, is not recorded. Is it a sign of my age that I cannot examine a child (even during a routine health maintenance visit) without percussing the chest and recording the results of that examination?

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				J. J. Alpert, S. Steinbach, P. A. Margolis, and A. Gadomski Does This Infant Have Pneumonia? The Value of Chest Percussion JAMA, July 8, 1998; 280(2): 134 - 134. [Full Text] [PDF]