When auscultating for bowel sounds, listen for up to five minutes- Before evaluating what kind of bowel noises are present, the nurse must listen for up to 5 minutes.
Start the auscultation in the lower right quadrant - Before moving on to the other quadrants, the nurse should auscultate the right bottom quadrant.
What is bowel sounds?
Bowel sounds are produced by the intestines moving as they push food through, which causes abdominal sounds.
Because the intestines are hollow, bowel sounds reverberate through the abdomen in a manner like to that of water pipes.
Bowel noises are typically normal. They only indicate that the digestive system is functioning.