Measurement of chest circumference

Chest examination in children should pay attention to the shape of the chest, such as chicken breast, funnel chest, rib string beads, rib diaphragm groove, rib valgus, etc. When inhaled, there were no sternal fossa, costal space, and sash below the sash. The chest wall of children is thin, and the intensity of percussion should be light. Chest auscultation should be carried out in the period of inspiration, and attention should be paid to the bottom of the lungs, shoulder blades, both sides of the spine and other parts. When children cry, breathing deepens, which is conducive to chest auscultation.

In addition, chest circumference measurement is necessary for children. Methods: Babies under 3 years old were taken lying position when measuring their chest circumference. The baby was lying on the bed with both hands naturally flat. The soft feet were fixed at the lower edge of the nipple to make the soft feet touch the skin. The soft feet were circled around the chest circumference through the lower edges of the shoulder blades to zero. The reading value was chest circumference.

Law of chest development

The infant’s chest is cylindrical, and the diameter of the front and back is almost the same as the transverse diameter. With the growth of age, the transverse diameter increases faster, the diameter of the front and back increases slowly, and gradually forms the adult’s chest.

Reference value of infant’s chest circumference: the chest circumference of the newborn is about 32 cm at birth, 1-2 cm smaller than the head circumference. It increases rapidly in the first year of birth, about 44 cm at 6 months, about 46 cm at 1 year of age and about 49 cm at 2 years of age. In general, infants from 12 months to 21 months of age have the same head circumference and chest circumference. After 21 months, the chest circumference exceeds the head circumference. After that, the gap between bust and head circumference increased.

Due to different nutritional and climatic conditions, there are differences in children’s development. In addition, the chest circumference of boys and girls is also different. As long as the child’s chest is within normal limits, there is no need to worry.

Matters needing attention in chest development

The size of the bust is related to physical exercise and clothing. Infants are in a period of vigorous physical development, but some parents like to wear tight or chest-binding clothing to the baby, which will restrain the development of the chest, a long time can lead to baby ribs subsidence, valgus, chest circumference is too small and so on.

Therefore, parents should pay attention to the baby to wear baggy trousers. Parents can also often do passive exercises for the baby to exercise its muscles and bones, such as breast enlargement exercise, exercise the child’s pectoral muscles, promote the baby’s chest muscles developed, and promote the development of the chest and lungs.

Abnormal chest phenomenon

Some infants have poor development of chest muscle and fat, and their chest circumference exceeds their head circumference later. Besides nutritional factors, it is also related to not attaching importance to crawling and chest exercise. In addition, some diseases can cause chest deformities, such as rickets can form a chicken chest or funnel shaped, and some serious congenital heart disease can make the left sternum bulge. If parents find that the baby’s chest is obviously sunken or bulge, check it as soon as possible, and deal with it as soon as possible.