A study examined the relationship between breath sounds and oxygen demand in emergency department patients. They recorded breath sounds at four locations with an electronic stethoscope and classified them as normal, wheezing, or crackling. The primary outcome was increased oxygen consumption (IOC) and secondary intensive care unit (ICU) admission. 2216 patients were enrolled in the study, of which 171 (7.7%) had IOD. Independent predictors of IOD were age (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01–1.03), lung cancer (OR: 3.56, 95% CI: 1.99–6.36), respiratory rate, oxygen saturation (OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92–0.98) and wheezing (OR: 2.87, 95 %CI: 1.31–6.29). AUROC for IOD prediction reached 0.791 (95% CI: 0.756–0.827). Age (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00–1.03), coronary artery disease (OR: 3.00, 95% CI: 1.32–4.84) and oxygen saturation (OR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.93–0.99) were significant for ICU admission. Future studies plan to analyze voiceprint and artificial intelligence to assess the predictive potential of breath sounds.