Buying stethoscopes – do you hear what I hear?

You use your stethoscope countless times during each shift. As an indispensable tool for quickly assessing a patient’s condition, the stethoscope is all the time with you while caring for patients. Now that it is time to purchase your first or substitute, how do you make a choice from the various styles and options available?

What must you search for in a stethoscope?

A high-quality stethoscope is durable, comfortable to make use of, and provides good acoustics, allowing for accurate assessment of heart, lung, and gastrointestinal sounds. The classic saying refers back to the performance and sturdiness of a stethoscope. Since a high-quality stethoscope can last 10-15 years, selecting a reliable, high- or medium-performance model could be a very good long-term investment for those who work in a hospital. If you are a student and on a budget, there are basic models that can meet your assessment needs.

The stethoscope consists of a head/chest section, tube and earpieces. Let’s have a look at each of those components:

Head/chest part

Stethoscopes use one in every of three different heads – a double head, a single head or an electronic head.

• The double head model features a diaphragm (for top frequencies) and a bell (for low frequencies). Some dual-head stethoscopes include an adjunct kit with bells for adults, children, and infants.
• Single-head cardiac stethoscopes feature a pressure-sensitive, tunable head that, depending on the pressure applied, acts as each a diaphragm and a bell. This tunable diaphragm means that you can easily switch between high and low frequency sounds. To hear low-frequency sounds, evenly lean your chest against the patient; To hear high-frequency sounds, press firmly in your chest. There are also very inexpensive single-head stethoscopes which are used solely for measuring blood pressure.
• Electronic models provide sound amplification and ambient noise reduction. They also can help you save recordings with the choice of sending recordings to a pc via wireless communication. However, these models are very expensive ($240-550) and the quantity of sound improvement is small in comparison with the most effective acoustic stethoscopes.

Pipes

Most stethoscopes can be found in 22- or 27-inch tubes. The shorter tube theoretically produces higher sound volume, however the human ear doesn’t detect a difference in acoustic parameters between a stethoscope with a shorter tube and a stethoscope with an extended tube. Practical aspects come into play when considering tubing length. The longer tubing allows greater distance from sick patients when auscultating and improves ergonomics by reducing the necessity to bend over patients.

A single-lumen tube has one tube connected to a part of the chest, which then splits into two tubes, each leading to 1 ear. Single-lumen, single-head stethoscopes are inexpensive and infrequently used for measuring blood pressure and in isolation rooms or other situations where disposable models are more practical. Dual-lumen stethoscopes are more sensitive than single-lumen stethoscopes because they supply a person sound channel for every ear. This means that you can hear the subtle features of heart sounds and murmurs more clearly. Most firms produce “dual-lumen” stethoscopes with two lights in a single tube.

An excellent fit is important to avoid sound leakage and minimize ambient noise. The headphones are tilted forward to align with the direction of the external ear canal. Soft gel or rubber earmuffs are comfortable and ensure a very good connection between the scope and the examiner’s ears. Most high-quality stethoscopes can be found in several different ear tip dimensions and shapes, allowing the user to decide on the best-fitting and most comfortable suggestions.

How do you already know what stethoscope you wish?

Consider what level of acoustic performance you wish. If you practice in specialties equivalent to critical care or cardiology that require precise auscultation, a high-performance model could also be best for you. High performance stethoscopes include 3M Littmann® Master Cardiology Or Cardiology Series IV, ERKA Finesse Or Deadlock², Precision Task, Elite Welch Allyn Harvey, MDF classical cardiologyOr Adscope 600 Cardiology. Prices for these models range from $130 to $240.

If you practice in an outpatient or general medical/surgical setting, a medium-capacity stethoscope will likely be appropriate. Examples of models on this category include: Littman Classic Series, ERKA Sensitive, MD One MDF board, Professional company Welch AllynAND ADC Adscope 601. Prices for these models range from $80 to $130.

Entry-level entry-level stethoscopes are probably the most economical, making them a very good alternative for medical, nursing, or EMT students. These models make it possible to make a general diagnosis and perform basic auscultation. Their limitations include the shortcoming to detect grade 1 and S3/S4 heart sounds in addition to their lack of durability. Basic models include Littmann Lekki II SE, MDF Acoustic LightweightAND Welch Allyn Lightweight.

If your specialty is exclusively pediatrics, you must consider pediatric models equivalent to ERKA Finesse² Kid, Littmann Classic II baby and Littmann Classic II Pediatric. If you’re working with different age groups, models with multiple interchangeable heads can be found for adults, children and newborns, e.g. Cardiology MDF ProCardial C3 AND MDF ProCardial ERA.

Stethoscope care

Once you might have purchased the right stethoscope, take the suitable steps to make sure it serves you so long as possible. Regularly wipe the tube and headphones with a 70% isopropyl alcohol solution. Do not immerse the stethoscope in liquid or subject it to any sterilization process. Keep it away from extremely low or high temperatures, oils and solvents. If these components wear out, substitute earmuffs, diaphragms and bell covers can be found.

To prevent loss or theft, consider engraving the metal a part of the diaphragm together with your name or selecting a particular tubing color.

Application

Choosing the most effective stethoscope for you comes all the way down to determining your each day needs and budget. Invest in the most effective stethoscope you may afford. It will assist you to provide higher patient care and will likely be your clinical companion for a few years.