question about Welch Allyn Harvey Elite

[albe]

Just a quick question. I just bought a Welch Allyn Harvey Elite. As I was unscrewing the adult diaphragm to change to pediatric, I dropped the adult diaphragm head. I didn't see anything else fall out besides the diaphragm head, but I just wanted to make sure I didn't lose any pieces. Would someone who owns this stethoscope model please tell me if I might have lost some small part(s)?

Thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[deleted87716]

There aren't any "small parts" to lose. There's just the metal head, the plastic retaining ring, and the diaphragm itself (see photo). There's nothing loose inside the main body of the stethoscope. Sounds like you're fine.

 

[albe]

Thanks, Kent. I noticed my stethoscope came with an extra diaphragm. The one that is originally on the adult head is black with a few circular ridges. Then there's another one that's made of the same plastic, but instead of just being black with ridges, this one is flat and has "Welch Allyn Harvey" written on it.
Are these what people mean when they say "corrugated" and flat? Should I swap out the ridge diaphragm for the other one if I'm just starting out learning everything?

The plastic looks kinda flimsy, so I don't know if it's something that'll break within a couple years of use. Have you had to replace them? I'm sorry for being so ignorant about this. There wasn't much information in the instruction manual.

 

[deleted87716]

Should I swap out the ridge diaphragm for the other one if I'm just starting out learning everything?

Yes, as the corrugated diaphragm attenuates sounds at either end of the spectrum, emphasizing the midrange. You might miss some subtle murmurs with it.

The plastic looks kinda flimsy, so I don't know if it's something that'll break within a couple years of use. Have you had to replace them?

I've never had a diaphragm break, but I've had to replace the plastic retaining ring. It will probably crack eventually, either from removing it to replace the diaphragm or simply from knocking against things. It's cheap and easy to do so, however.

 

[cbgray]

Wow, so that's what that piece of plastic that says "Welch Allyn" is? I thought it was a sticker! No wonder my steth sounds a little muffled - I feel less bad about my first cardiac clinic now. Thanks, y'all!

 

[deleted87716]

Wow, so that's what that piece of plastic that says "Welch Allyn" is? I thought it was a sticker!

Yeah, they used to be opaque plastic with no logo, as shown in the photo. They changed to the holographic logo a few years ago. Personally, I preferred the logo-less version, but I don't think you can get those anymore.

 

[albe]

Thanks again. That was really helpful.

 

[ambulancedriver]

so just to clarify, the hologram logo is actually a diaphragm 😱 and not merely a decorative piece that fits on top of the black one?.......explains why I couldn't get it to fit for the life of me . no mention of all this in the book that came with the scope either!

edit: sorry, I meant for this to be a question, and not a statement.

 

[ZagDoc]

It's amazing what you can actually hear when you HAVE a diaphragm

 

[87138]

A friend of mine gave me a Harvey Elite, but the box says "Harvey Elite, 25in, Economy." And the product number is 5079-125E. The box itself only contains the stethoscope (with no additional diaphragms/earpieces). I just wanted to make sure the "economy" refers to the fact that there are no extras, and not that the actual tubing or any of the rest of the scope are poor in quality.

 

[BlondeCookie]

Yeah, they used to be opaque plastic with no logo, as shown in the photo. They changed to the holographic logo a few years ago. Personally, I preferred the logo-less version, but I don't think you can get those anymore.

Yeah, I prefer a logo-less diaphragm cover also. I have the flat diaphragm on my Welch-Allyn Harvey stethoscope now, but I installed backwards so that the hologram printed side is on the outside and the black logo side is hidden on the inside of the steth.

Do you know if their is a supply house that sells the more conventional styled opaque diaphragm covers that will fit the Welch stethoscopes? Maybe a Littman diaphragm cover will fit?

 

[howelljolly]

Do you know if their is a supply house that sells the more conventional styled opaque diaphragm covers that will fit the Welch stethoscopes? Maybe a Littman diaphragm cover will fit?[/quote]

Im not sure which one you are looking for...
As replacements Miami Medical sells a flat white diaphragm for the WA Elite, and a black diaphragm for the WA DLX, or Original (double lumen)