master cardiology sthethescope users: what's the pin-size hole for?

[bulldog]

I just got the littman master cardio stethescope today. I noticed that it has a pinpoint sized hole in the diaphram. is this normal? I didn't recall seeing a hole in another steth i had been using.

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[rchrest1]

I just got the littman master cardio stethescope today. I noticed that it has a pinpoint sized hole in the diaphram. is this normal? I didn't recall seeing a hole in another steth i had been using.

Seems like it would be for air to escape the head.

 

[ms. a]

I just got the littman master cardio stethescope today. I noticed that it has a pinpoint sized hole in the diaphram. is this normal? I didn't recall seeing a hole in another steth i had been using.

Mine's got one. My guess it that it's like every hollow toy that my daughter has - if there is even the slightest chance of liquid getting inside, they prove a easy escape route for it.

 

[*fatmike*]

Are you a medical student or a master of cardiology?

 

[bulldog]

Are you a medical student or a master of cardiology?

med student. it's the name of one of the littman stethoscopes.

 

[bulldog]

Mine's got one. My guess it that it's like every hollow toy that my daughter has - if there is even the slightest chance of liquid getting inside, they prove a easy escape route for it.

interesting. though it almost seems to me that having a hole would increase chances of stuff getting stuck in the diaphragm and up ur ears. also, did urs have a little notch in the rubbery black ring facing the center of the diaphram? (next to littman logo). dunno....seems as though I somehow got a used/returned stethescope since it was kinda dirty/the bottom surface kinda scratched up the first time I opened the box (or perhaps the plastic is easy to scratch).

 

[felipe5]

hey guys, i have a question............and although I know an answer will be "look it up on a damn website", I was just curious as to whether or not one of can purchase individual parts of the stethoscope. My stethoscope was a hand-me-down, and the length of the scope's tube is a bit too short for me and I'd like a longer tube without shelling out $100+ for a new one....if so, has anyone ever done this?

 

[mikecwru]

hey guys, i have a question............and although I know an answer will be "look it up on a damn website", I was just curious as to whether or not one of can purchase individual parts of the stethoscope. My stethoscope was a hand-me-down, and the length of the scope's tube is a bit too short for me and I'd like a longer tube without shelling out $100+ for a new one....if so, has anyone ever done this?

You can change the length and color of your tubing. They should have it on the web site. Littman also does visiting clinics where they'll fix your scope up at a lot of hospitals. It's fairly expensive, but not as expensive as buying a whole used scope.

mike

 

[Firebird]

I just got the littman master cardio stethescope today. I noticed that it has a pinpoint sized hole in the diaphram. is this normal? I didn't recall seeing a hole in another steth i had been using.

Yes, mine has a hole in it. I don't think it's a drain, though, as previously suggested? I would imagine it has to do with the diaphragm being tunable. When you press for the high pitched sounds, you create positive pressure. I have noticed when I listen to high frequency sounds, I can feel pressure increase in my ears. I would guess that the hole allows some of the pressure to escape. But it's just a guess.

 

[Dr. Donkey]

Yeah, but a hole in the diaphragm would be covered by the pt's skin when you were pushing, so the hole wouldn't let air in or out, right? Plus, the amount of displacement that the diaphragm goes through is so little, you shouldn't need a relief valve (never had the ear pressure sensation personally). Also, why wouldn't other Littmans have the purported drainage hole (cardiology III is also sealed in a sense)?

Yes, mine has a hole in it. I don't think it's a drain, though, as previously suggested? I would imagine it has to do with the diaphragm being tunable. When you press for the high pitched sounds, you create positive pressure. I have noticed when I listen to high frequency sounds, I can feel pressure increase in my ears. I would guess that the hole allows some of the pressure to escape. But it's just a guess.

 

[Dr. Donkey]

Some tunable diaphragms have a tiny pinhole in the center of the disc. This is not a defect in the product, nor does it contribute to the tunable function. This hole is a result of a manufacturing process of the product. It also helps eliminate air pressure that was created in the system when pressing down on the chestpiece. This air pressure may be uncomfortable, especially if the user has a very good seal in their ear canals as a result of the soft sealing eartips. Because this was experienced mostly in the Master Cardiology and less so with other models, as of October 1997, the hole was eliminated in most models. It can still be found in the Master Cardiology, and the small side of the Cardiology III.

 

[BenYossarian]

Some tunable diaphragms have a tiny pinhole in the center of the disc. This is not a defect in the product, nor does it contribute to the tunable function. This hole is a result of a manufacturing process of the product. It also helps eliminate air pressure that was created in the system when pressing down on the chestpiece. This air pressure may be uncomfortable, especially if the user has a very good seal in their ear canals as a result of the soft sealing eartips. Because this was experienced mostly in the Master Cardiology and less so with other models, as of October 1997, the hole was eliminated in most models. It can still be found in the Master Cardiology, and the small side of the Cardiology III.

hah...I was just gonna say there's a hole in the diaphragm on the peds side of my cardioIII...guess its supposed to be there

 

[Firebird]

Some tunable diaphragms have a tiny pinhole in the center of the disc. This is not a defect in the product, nor does it contribute to the tunable function. This hole is a result of a manufacturing process of the product. It also helps eliminate air pressure that was created in the system when pressing down on the chestpiece. This air pressure may be uncomfortable, especially if the user has a very good seal in their ear canals as a result of the soft sealing eartips. Because this was experienced mostly in the Master Cardiology and less so with other models, as of October 1997, the hole was eliminated in most models. It can still be found in the Master Cardiology, and the small side of the Cardiology III.

This is exactly what I said.

 

[13538]

hey guys, i have a question............and although I know an answer will be "look it up on a damn website", I was just curious as to whether or not one of can purchase individual parts of the stethoscope. My stethoscope was a hand-me-down, and the length of the scope's tube is a bit too short for me and I'd like a longer tube without shelling out $100+ for a new one....if so, has anyone ever done this?

As someone has already said you can order replacement parts from most (decent) Littmann stockists.

Just as an aside... With longer tubing there's a decrease in the acoustics. Do you not like getting close to your patients???

 

[krufne01]

My understanding is that the hole is only present for conversion from diaphragm to bell. Does your scope have a bell? My Cardiology III has a hole-less adult size, and the Pedi size has a hole in it; when you apply pressure on the pedi side it disables the diaphragm and lets it work like a bell. Without the whole, you would have no bell function. But then again, I could be very wrong.