rattle

rattle

(răt′l)

n.

1. A rapid succession of short percussive sounds.

2. A device, such as a baby's toy, that produces short percussive sounds.

3. A rattling sound in the throat caused by obstructed breathing, especially near the time of death.

4. The series of horny structures at the end of a rattlesnake's tail.

rattle

Etymology: ME, ratelen

an abnormal sound heard by auscultation of the lungs in some forms of pulmonary disease. It consists of a coarse vibration more intense than a crackle, very much like a rhonchus, caused by the movement of moisture and the separation of the walls of small air passages during respiration.

rattle

Ethnomedicine
A device used in the Navajo and other Native American tribes to maintain rhythm during healing rituals.

Forensics
See Death rattle.
 
Paediatrics
An infant toy which, when shaken produces a rattling noise.

rattle

(răt′l) [ME. ratelen, to rattle]

A coarse crackle heard during auscultation of the chest. This finding suggests excessive airway secretions are present.

death rattle

A colloquial term for gurgling noises caused by movements of secretions in the upper airways with inspiration and expiration in dying patients.