Best stethoscope to get?

[FunnyCurrent]

This is an old post but I looked at this post 3 years ago when I bought my first stethoscope and it pops up on google search so I thought I would add something.

I currently own a Littman Cardio 2, Littmann Cardio 3, WA Tycos Elite, WA Tycos DLX Double Head.

While I'm only starting 3rd year and I cannot say which provides the best acoustic discrimination, I will say that the cardio 3 is without a doubt the loudest of these 4. The Cardio 2 is the most quiet. The Elite is about the same as the DLX (in terms of loudness) though if I had to choose which was louder, I would have to say the Elite is louder.

While I realize that loudness is not the most important quality of a stethoscope, I feel that for beginners like myself one avoids considerable frustration by being able to hear.

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[evilbooyaa]

I have a Littman 3 and I'm happy with it. If i'm not hearing something it's because I'm not in the right position, period.

 

[Laryngophed]

I use a Welch Allyn Harvey Elite and I've been pretty happy with it. It took my ears and my brain a while to learn how to filter out some of the noise that comes through my corrugated diaphragm, but I think that the stethoscope does a good job of conveying the sounds at the chest wall to my ears.

 

[Unzbuzzled]

I like the Littman Master Cardio. Not sure why the person above is complaining about theirs- I find that mine's clearer than nearly every other Littman, including the Cardio 3. I went to a Littman workshop and tried all of the standards, and aside from the Bluetooth ones (which you shouldn't even consider until you're a cardiology fellow) the Master Cardiology is second to none. And it comes with a seven year warranty, so anytime you have a week off, you can send it back and have them tune it and swap out the old parts with new parts. Your warranty will last until you're nearly done with your residency, so you never have to worry. And you only have to warm up one side before you press it to your patient's skin, which might seem like a little thing, but it's nice.

When you get into your fellowship, I'd recommend the bluetooth units which communicate to tablets and smartphones. But while you're learning your chops, you better use an acoustic scope. You need to know how to long divide before you start using a calculator.

 

[CodeBlu]

I like the Littman Master Cardio. Not sure why the person above is complaining about theirs- I find that mine's clearer than nearly every other Littman, including the Cardio 3. I went to a Littman workshop and tried all of the standards, and aside from the Bluetooth ones (which you shouldn't even consider until you're a cardiology fellow) the Master Cardiology is second to none. And it comes with a seven year warranty, so anytime you have a week off, you can send it back and have them tune it and swap out the old parts with new parts. Your warranty will last until you're nearly done with your residency, so you never have to worry. And you only have to warm up one side before you press it to your patient's skin, which might seem like a little thing, but it's nice.

When you get into your fellowship, I'd recommend the bluetooth units which communicate to tablets and smartphones. But while you're learning your chops, you better use an acoustic scope. You need to know how to long divide before you start using a calculator.

I will back this up and agree. Love my master cardio. Some people might poke fun, but they're just jealous they don't have a master cardio. It was only an extra $20-30 to get the master over the cardio III. So I figured why the hell not.

 

[danznchandee16]

Is there a disadvantage in not having a bell on the master cardio? I'm trying to decide between master cardio and cardio III

 

[Instatewaiter]

This is an old post but I looked at this post 3 years ago when I bought my first stethoscope and it pops up on google search so I thought I would add something.

I currently own a Littman Cardio 2, Littmann Cardio 3, WA Tycos Elite, WA Tycos DLX Double Head.

While I'm only starting 3rd year and I cannot say which provides the best acoustic discrimination, I will say that the cardio 3 is without a doubt the loudest of these 4. The Cardio 2 is the most quiet. The Elite is about the same as the DLX (in terms of loudness) though if I had to choose which was louder, I would have to say the Elite is louder.

While I realize that loudness is not the most important quality of a stethoscope, I feel that for beginners like myself one avoids considerable frustration by being able to hear.

Littmann is the loudest of those but the bell is garbage. By far the better bell is found on the Tycos. The littmann has the better diaphragm. That said, with the right ear tips the WA is plenty loud.

I had hard tips on my WA and wasnt getting a good seal and I switched to well sealing soft tips and it made all the difference.

 

[Instatewaiter]

Is there a disadvantage in not having a bell on the master cardio? I'm trying to decide between master cardio and cardio III

Yes and no.

The low pitched sounds of the master cardio are picked up better than the cardio III. That said, unless you know how to use the tunable diaphragm, you arent going to be using it correctly to get those low pitched sounds.

Also, on your skinny or cachectic or COPD patients, you won't be able to get a good perch with your diaphragm (so you wont hear ****). Using the bell and pressing hard makes the bell into a diaphragm which is nice for these people.

All in all Master cardio is a better scope for a cardiologist.
For cards: I'd rank them Master cardio, WA DLX, Cardio III=harvey , others.

 

[JP2740]

According to Welch-Allyn, the corrugated diaphragm is useful for detecting mid-range sounds, as it attenuates higher-pitched sounds more than a conventional diaphragm (ref: http://www2.umdnj.edu/~shindler/choirefs.htm ).

In practice, it's usually used to "survey" the precordium before "tuning in" to specific sounds using either the flat diaphragm or bell, as with the Harvey Triple-Head. If you use the corrugated diaphragm on a regular two-headed stethoscope like the Harvey Elite, you'll lose a little bit of resolution in the higher frequency range. I've tried them both, and prefer the flat diaphragm.

Dude, you're the equivalent of beer-connoisseurs at a bar. Extremely (bad word insert). Relax.

 

[kingdangerous]

I love the Littman Master Cardiology. This is the exact one that I have here: http://goo.gl/AmJwnb I used a cheap-o ADC brand stethoscope prior and just wasn't hearing anything clearly.

 

[LJMACKMD]

Every doc I've talked to told me to get the Littman Cardio II, but Littman discontinued it. So what's the next best thing?

I've tried a lot of the stethoscopes out and they all sound the same to me-- and that's not a good thing because the sound quality is terrible compared to the Littman Cardio II that I tried at the doctor's office.

I have had a few but now have a Littmann 3200 model. I was turned on to it by an IM MD I worked with a year ago. He sees about 32 patients per day and it held up for him. I have a little hearing loss in my right ear so the volume adjustability is great. I don't use the software that much but this is a great tool! I paid $290.00 for it.

 

[mdeast]

Master Cardio for sure. Get the Black Edition (super sexy). You'll have your stethoscope for decades so it's worth investing in a good one from the start of medical school to learn on.

 

[deleted212936]

Littman Cardio III. It's worked great for me so far. I had the chances to use other stethoscopes during clinicals but so far no comparison.

 

[DrFizition]

Matriculating in the fall. Do schools typically provide you with the stethoscope (as part of tuition and fees), or are you thrown a catalog and you are off buying on your own? Should I have my own before walking into class first day?

Thanks

 

[deleted407021]

Matriculating in the fall. Do schools typically provide you with the stethoscope (as part of tuition and fees), or are you thrown a catalog and you are off buying on your own? Should I have my own before walking into class first day?

Thanks

Good question. Have a Cariology III in my cart on Amazon, waiting to pull the trigger.

I know some schools provide an equipment package as part of your fees, so maybe ask them directly? IDK about my school, actually.

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

I got a Cardio III. TBH you could probably get a cheaper Littmann and do just fine, like a Classic III.

 

[deleted407021]

I got a Cardio III. TBH you could probably get a cheaper Littmann and do just fine, like a Classic III.

I can't seem to find whether or not it's double-lumen. Do you know?

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

I can't seem to find whether or not it's double-lumen. Do you know?

It's a single lumen, which makes it easier to fold in your pocket

 

[Cytarabine]

Spent a month on peds cards, finally got good at heart sounds. As long as you're getting a high end stethoscope, I really don't think it matters a whole lot between them. They may have slight differences in pros/cons, but I don't think there's a clear winner, just pick one and stick with it. It's all about knowing/recognizing what you're hearing

 

[Benjoe11]

Any opinions on the MDF Procardial C3??

 

[Sea Otter]

Matriculating in the fall. Do schools typically provide you with the stethoscope (as part of tuition and fees), or are you thrown a catalog and you are off buying on your own? Should I have my own before walking into class first day?

Thanks

Everyone buys their own at my school.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[themockjock]

When I was a med student I got the Cardio 3 like everyone else and it was fine.

Now that I'm a resident, the best stethoscope for me is an echo and daily CXR.