RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Wheezes, crackles, rhonchi: Agreement among members of the ERS task force on lung sounds JF European Respiratory Journal JO Eur Respir J FD European Respiratory Society SP P4004 VO 44 IS Suppl 58 A1 Hasse Melbye A1 Luis Garcia-Marcos A1 Mark Everard A1 Kostas Priftis A1 Paul Brand A1 Hans Pasterkamp YR 2014 UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P4004.abstract AB Background The ERS Task Force on lung sounds was set up in 2012 to establish a repository of audiovisual recordings of lung auscultation for the standardization of nomenclature. We report agreement among the six members of the Task Force on the first 16 recordings.Methods Various adventitious sounds in recordings of lung sounds of 15 seconds duration from 10 children and 6 adults were classified according to recommended English language nomenclature1 plus the category of rhonchi. Identification by respiratory phase thus offered 10 non-exclusive choices. Kappa statistics was used on pairs of raters to calculate mean Kappa per sound.Results On average there were 2.1 adventitious sounds per rater and patient (range 0.33-3.5). Complete agreement (Kappa=1) was found for 3/10 sounds in 3 of the 15 pairs of raters (fine expiratory crackles and coarse inspiratory and expiratory crackles). Mean Kappa for these were 0.21, 0.31 and 0.33, respectively (fair agreement). The mean Kappa for all ten sounds was 0.20There was better agreement when merging the inspiratory and expiratory sounds, with a mean Kappa of 0.29. When merging fine and coarse crackles in the analysis and also high-pitched wheezes, low-pitch-wheezes and rhonchi, while still distinguishing between inspiratory and expiratory sounds, the mean Kappa was 0.45 (moderate).Conclusion Only fair interrater agreement was found when 10 different sounds were registered in 16 cases with multiple adventitious sounds. Better agreement was obtained when similar sounds were combined.1ACCP-ATS Joint Committee on Pulmonary Nomenclature. Chest 1975; 67:583-93.