Stridor is best described as which of the following?

Stridor is best described as which of the following?

• A. A high-pitched sound heard during inspiration due to upper airway obstruction
• B. A low-pitched sound heard during expiration
• C. A crackling sound in the lungs
• D. A muffled voice after surgery

Answer: (A)

Stridor is a high-pitched, usually inspiratory sound caused by turbulence when air flows through a narrowed upper airway, such as the larynx or trachea. This distinguishes it from sounds caused by lower airway problems, like wheezes (a musical sound typically from smaller airway narrowing and often expiratory) and crackles (fluid or collapse in the airways or alveoli). A muffled voice after surgery can indicate airway edema or obstruction but does not produce the audible inspiratory turbulence characteristic of stridor. So the best description is a high-pitched sound heard during inspiration due to upper airway obstruction.

Stridor is a high-pitched, usually inspiratory sound caused by turbulence when air flows through a narrowed upper airway, such as the larynx or trachea. This distinguishes it from sounds caused by lower airway problems, like wheezes (a musical sound typically from smaller airway narrowing and often expiratory) and crackles (fluid or collapse in the airways or alveoli). A muffled voice after surgery can indicate airway edema or obstruction but does not produce the audible inspiratory turbulence characteristic of stridor. So the best description is a high-pitched sound heard during inspiration due to upper airway obstruction.