Littmann Classic III or Cardiology IV

  • Thread starter Thread starter deleted600623
  • Start date Start date
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
D

deleted600623

Getting a stethoscope for my birthday. Which would y'all recommend? Is there a huge difference in quality between the classic and Cardiology? Thanks for the help!
Members don't see this ad.
 
Is your status that you've just been accepted accurate? If so, the cheaper classic III is more than sufficient. Many of my classmates have it and are happy with it. As a newbie, you're not going to have the skills to tell the difference between the two for a very long time.
 
Atom612 said:
Is your status that you've just been accepted accurate? If so, the cheaper classic III is more than sufficient. Many of my classmates have it and are happy with it. As a newbie, you're not going to have the skills to tell the difference between the two for a very long time.
Click to expand...

Yes I start in the fall this year. But that's what I figured. I just wasn't sure if learning with the Cardiology IV was that much better than the classic III.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I use the Classic III and it’s very well made. It should last and plenty of attendings carry one.
 
Get a cheaper steth

Tbh I’m a cards fellow in my last year of training and while I considered buying some of the 500 dollar stethoscopes even I’m glad I didn’t. Waste of money.

I think your best bet is something that allows you to hear murmurs, bowel sounds, and lung sounds with reasonable clarity. Unfortunately although at some point the clinical exam probably had a higher role in diagnosis, I will never hang my hat on saying someone has severe AS or severe MR based upon the sound of their murmur - echo will always be needed for diagnosis. Some may disagree.
 
MS1 here.

Odds are you will have a hard enough time getting all of the auscultatory findings straight when they are played back to you as recordings. The minimal advantage that the premium stethoscopes give will not be appreciable to your (and my) untrained ears.

Just get one in a cool color and enjoy learning how to use it! 😎
 
Graduated and am glad I only went with a $30 non-name brand steph. I recommend whatever of the two is cheapest.
 
There’re no humility points to be gained from buying a cheap, poorly made stethoscope. Just go for a good basic littmann that will hold up. Seeing some for <$90 on Amazon.
 
Hippogryff said:
There’re no humility points to be gained from buying a cheap, poorly made stethoscope. Just go for a good basic littmann that will hold up. Seeing some for <$90 on Amazon.
Click to expand...

Haha that's what I was thinking too. I may not know how to gather the proper auscultatory findings yet but I want to be able to actually hear them well. The classic III sounds sufficient.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
M3 perspective: Love my cardio 4 and I also use a cardio 3 as backup (it lives in my car for when I forget the 4). I only have two because my grandmother bought me the 4 and our school gave us 3s. The cardio 3 is good enough for a whole career I’m sure. I do like the finish on the tubing of the 4, it’s quite louder to me also. Hardly matters though.
 
If money isnt an issue (which it sounds like it is based on the Q) then buy the cardio 4. Stethoscopes last for years theyre not laptops. If you decide on IM or surgery later would you upgrade?
 
nimbus said:
I’ve lost more stethoscopes than I can count. I prefer the cheap Littman lightweights. The dual sided ones are annoying because it will invariably be on the wrong side when you put it on the patient.

Save your money for this....


Butterfly iQ - Personal ultrasound - Butterfly Network
Click to expand...

Unless your school is willing to buy one, they're only available when you're fully licensed right?
 
If money is not an issue, get the 4. If it is, get the 3 or the ADSCOPE brand. I have the ADSCOPE from amazon and it's great.
 
Classic III is great for med students. It's a good bit lighter and more flexible than the Cardiology and is therefore easier to stuff in a white coat pocket and more comfortable if you're the around-the-neck type. Nobody will expect you to hear anything softer than a grade III or IV murmur, and if you can't hear that with a Classic, you're not going to hear it with anything else.
 
IMreshopeful said:
Get a cheaper steth

Tbh I’m a cards fellow in my last year of training and while I considered buying some of the 500 dollar stethoscopes even I’m glad I didn’t. Waste of money.

I think your best bet is something that allows you to hear murmurs, bowel sounds, and lung sounds with reasonable clarity. Unfortunately although at some point the clinical exam probably had a higher role in diagnosis, I will never hang my hat on saying someone has severe AS or severe MR based upon the sound of their murmur - echo will always be needed for diagnosis. Some may disagree.
Click to expand...

I'm curious to hear how auscultation aficionados (sorry, this sounds too funny) describe the differences between cheaper stethoscopes - what kind of sounds are clearer in higher end ones?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Make sure your school doesn't require you to buy a set of equipment. My state school does.
 
longhaul3 said:
Classic III is great for med students. It's a good bit lighter and more flexible than the Cardiology and is therefore easier to stuff in a white coat pocket and more comfortable if you're the around-the-neck type. Nobody will expect you to hear anything softer than a grade III or IV murmur, and if you can't hear that with a Classic, you're not going to hear it with anything else.
Click to expand...
Uhh, it's not at all unlikely to be expected to hear a II, or a murmur on an infant with a hummingbird heart. Agreed on the rest.
 
mehc012 said:
Uhh, it's not at all unlikely to be expected to hear a II, or a murmur on an infant with a hummingbird heart. Agreed on the rest.
Click to expand...
Fair enough, but in my experience it's more of an impressive feat than an expectation for a med student to hear a grade II, unless the resident/attending listens first and says "hey listen to this murmur."

I suppose a 4th year should be picking them up, especially on medicine or peds, but in my decidedly non-stethoscope-toting field nobody would care.
 
MDL was $15. I can hear murmurs, bowel sounds, etc. May need something better depending on specialty but didn't want to fork out the money until I knew I needed it.
 
Med school gave us inexpensive MFDs. I've used friends' Littmans and while there is a slight difference, it's not enough for me to fork over a pile of money to get one.
 
M1 here--I went all out and bought the cardiology IV, but kind of regret forking over that much money because it isn't really necessary. Most of the primary care attendings I work with have a III, and they use theirs all the time.
Also, OP, buy it in a fun color. I went for black because I didn't want to look tacky, but I've since regretted not getting a cool color or like the ones with the black earpieces or whatever. Especially since I spent so much money and will probably never replace it 🙁 My stethoscope is very boring and it always makes me sad.
 
mrbreakfast said:
Med school gave us inexpensive MFDs. I've used friends' Littmans and while there is a slight difference, it's not enough for me to fork over a pile of money to get one.
Click to expand...
We have MFDs too and I hate them haha. I'm buying a litt 3 its honestly only like 120 and it is the single most important piece of equipment you will use as a physician. I mean you'll literally use it everyday for the rest of your career so I have no problem spending an extra 30 bucks on a good steth and kind of pissed our school short changed us. Every year before us got Litts, sooooo lame!
 
It's honestly just like the difference between 720 vs 1080 on a video. 720 is good enough and most people don't really notice much of a difference.
 
Deecee2DO said:
We have MFDs too and I hate them haha. I'm buying a litt 3 its honestly only like 120 and it is the single most important piece of equipment you will use as a physician. I mean you'll literally use it everyday for the rest of your career so I have no problem spending an extra 30 bucks on a good steth and kind of pissed our school short changed us. Every year before us got Litts, sooooo lame!
Click to expand...
You should be able to get a Classic III for $60-80 or so. $120 is a horrible deal.
 
Is a Littman Cardio IV good? (Son got me one for Christmas... encouraging little brat that I raised 😀 )
 
georgia_boy1 said:
Getting a stethoscope for my birthday. Which would y'all recommend? Is there a huge difference in quality between the classic and Cardiology? Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Debated this last year and ended up going with the III. Really happy I didn’t spend double the amount of money tbh.
 
Ad2b said:
Is a Littman Cardio IV good? (Son got me one for Christmas... encouraging little brat that I raised 😀 )
Click to expand...

My school told us to get Cardiology IVs, so that's what I have. I like it, but I've never used anything else (except for the basically disposable ones that come with drug-store sphygmomanometers). I thought the $170 I spent on it was well worth it.
 
Ad2b said:
Is a Littman Cardio IV good? (Son got me one for Christmas... encouraging little brat that I raised 😀 )
Click to expand...

ADSigMel said:
My school told us to get Cardiology IVs, so that's what I have. I like it, but I've never used anything else (except for the basically disposable ones that come with drug-store sphygmomanometers). I thought the $170 I spent on it was well worth it.
Click to expand...
They are great. In all practicality it may be overkill but it's a nice, meaningful gift. At the very least you'll never have to wonder if it's the equipment's fault you can't hear the murmur. I have one and it sits in a closet somewhere at home so I can auscultate in case my dog has a spontaneous pneumothorax. Whenever I need a stethoscope (very rarely these days) I grab my Classic III from the locker in the hospital.
 
longhaul3 said:
They are great. In all practicality it may be overkill but it's a nice, meaningful gift. At the very least you'll never have to wonder if it's the equipment's fault you can't hear the murmur. I have one and it sits in a closet somewhere at home so I can auscultate in case my dog has a spontaneous pneumothorax. Whenever I need a stethoscope (very rarely these days) I grab my Classic III from the locker in the hospital.
Click to expand...
What specialty are you in?
 
I use one of those useless isolation stethoscopes. It's made basically zero difference in my medical decision making.

Source: PGY 3 IM resident going into cardiology
 
longhaul3 said:
They are great. In all practicality it may be overkill but it's a nice, meaningful gift.
Click to expand...
Brought me to tears. I had not decided whether to take the MCAT again (Irma wreaked havoc on me in more than one way). It was his way of not-so-gently nudging me forward. Reminding me...

Not sure how I got such a great son but hit the lottery... absolutely better than a PowerBall win (though, that would be nice 😀 )
 
III, and dont get black like me and everyone else...
FWIW I have a III and a master cardiology.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Anonymous Lurker
Matching Academic Cardiology from mid tier Residency
Replies
1
Views
2K
Med Ed
Med Ed
mxrtz
Cardiology Interest Group Help!
Replies
2
Views
1K
mxrtz
mxrtz
B
Dual Apply IR/DR or DR w/ESIR
Replies
2
Views
805
MatchpalResidencyAdvising
M
T
Struggling with IVs IM Residency
Replies
3
Views
2K
tennisgoat
T
G
When were you notified of your merit or need based scholarships?
Replies
0
Views
283
GratefulTN
G
Top