stethoscopes

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does it matter which one we get? any recommendations

Originally Posted by nova100

does it matter which one we get? any recommendations

It doesn't matter which one you get. It's all about what works for you. My personal preference is a stethoscope with a 27" single tubing (because the real short ones put me too close to my patients) and binaural (makes the sounds are a bit louder and clearer). The gold standard is probably going to be your Littmann Cardiology III. The only annoying thing is the tunable diaphragm, which can be hard to learn from, but you can remove the diaphragm from the pediatric side (if you aren't seeing peds patients) and use it as a bell if you want.

theres a zillion posts on this topic... search the SDN

Welch Allyn - Elite or DLX. they have a traditional bell and diaphragm, and double lumen tubing.

It doesn't matter. Most people get a cardiology scope (double lumen), with the most popular being the Littmann Cardiology 3.

I use a Littmann Cardiology 2 (no tunable diaphragms). I snagged it off ebay and sent it to 3M for refurishing in 27" tubing. It's the bee's knees.

Littmann Classic II SE...Black edition...Baller

In the interest of looking sharp, all of the Littmanns come in all black...

the Classic 2 SE is particularly bad to learn with because it 1. has a single lumen tube, and 2. the bell doesn't detect frequencies which are much lower than the diaphragm. 3. the diaphragm is tunable, so its like learning to ride a bicycle in a roller coaster rather than the sidewalk.

If you want an all black one, get the Cardio III and convert the peds side to a bell.

or.

Just get the Welch Allyn Elite.

I have a master cardiology and I've been using it for a few years now, but recently, I've been discovering that sounds I'm listening for are kind of muffled and hard to distinguish. Stupid tunable diaphragm. I got fed up and bought a cardiology III. I'm going to convert the peds side into a bell and remove the tunable diaphragm and use one of the DRG disposable ones. I hope this works better, because I am tired of straining and working so hard to hear the sounds.

The all black ones look tacky as hell. It's the denim cut-off shorts of stethoscopes and serves only to shout out "I paid way to much to look this bad".

Cardiollogy III or Harvey Elite
Choose versatility or non-tuneable diaphragm (and nominal accompanying gain in acoustic quality)

or get both like me because I know I'll lose one and I prefer the longer tubing I got with the Littman. Plus, I'm just going to convert peds side to bell anyway.

I also got the Littmann Cardiology III. Not too expensive, sounds great (as far as I can tell).

The general consensus at my school seemed to be that unless you are really planning on going into cardiology, it doesn't matter which one you get.

The 27" tubing is definitely the way to go, because otherwise you are basically sitting in your patient's lap to listen to their heart/lungs.

I went with a color other than black, because everyone gets a black one, and they have a tendency to develop legs. Mine is navy, and I think I'm the only one with that color (or almost the only one).

Hopefully we won't be on rotations together then. I have a navy one too.

I did have my name put on mine, but big deal.

I am "required" to get the kit here. It comes with the Harvey Elite which is nice, but 22 inch tubing is killer, especially when you're relatively tall and have an iffy back.