What does "No obvious rales" mean in a report or doctor's letter? In our medical dictionary, you will find a patient-friendly explanation of the meaning of this medical term.
"No obvious rales" is a term used in medicine to describe the absence of a certain type of abnormal sound in the lungs. These sounds, called rales, are often heard through a stethoscope during a physical examination. They can sound like crackling or rattling and usually indicate some kind of problem with the lungs, such as pneumonia or heart failure. So, if a doctor says there are "no obvious rales," it means they didn't hear these abnormal sounds when listening to the patient's lungs.
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