A patient with a 3-day history of worsening fever, productive cough, and fatigue comes to the office for evaluation. The nurse would most likely expect to hear which of the following on her chest examination?

This patient presents with symptoms consistent with pneumonia. Because it is an exudative process, a nurse will typically hear dullness (soft sounds) with percussion due to the consolidation present in the affected area of the lung as well as abnormal breath sounds with auscultation such as wheezes, rhonchi, crackles, or rales. Hyperresonance (hollow, loud sounds) with percussion is typical if air is present.