What stethoscope do you use?

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Reviving this older thread to ask: does anyone use a Welch Allyn stethoscope (either the Harvey Elite or DLX)? I'm thinking about investing in a nice stethoscope, and Welch Allyn was the brand recommended to us by a veterinary cardiologist if we were thinking about going high end. What are folks' experiences with the Welch Allyn stethoscopes? Do you like them more or less than the Littmann's Cardio III?
 
Thelemic said:
Reviving this older thread to ask: does anyone use a Welch Allyn stethoscope (either the Harvey Elite or DLX)? I'm thinking about investing in a nice stethoscope, and Welch Allyn was the brand recommended to us by a veterinary cardiologist if we were thinking about going high end. What are folks' experiences with the Welch Allyn stethoscopes? Do you like them more or less than the Littmann's Cardio III?
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I love the harvey elite but I'm still saving up for one. It was the most clarity I had from a stethoscope.
 
Littmann's Cardiology III hands down!! After going through a nursing school using others, it is the best investment I've ever made!!
 
Has anyone had the opportunity to compare the DLX to the Harvey Elite? Which did you prefer?
 
I got to listen with a Littmann Cardio III and a Harvey Elite, and for me, I preferred the Harvey Elite over the Littmann. But, I haven't found found a DLX to listen to, so I was wondering about the differences between those two stethoscopes in particular.
 
Thelemic said:
I got to listen with a Littmann Cardio III and a Harvey Elite, and for me, I preferred the Harvey Elite over the Littmann. But, I haven't found found a DLX to listen to, so I was wondering about the differences between those two stethoscopes in particular.
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I know, I was just being snarky. I've not actually heard an Elite, but I have heard a DLX. The sound was superior than what I hear in my Cardio III, but not enough to make me feel like it was worth replacing my Cardio III. And now that I've got different ear tips in my cardio III that are tremendously comfortable I dunno that I'll ever replace it.

The further through vet school I get the less I care about whether I hear the sounds incrementally better and the more I care about comfort. Unless you're a practicing cardiologist, it's probably not a huge deal to be able to hear things *that* well. So I've kinda switched over to recommending that people give comfort a bit more weight than I used to tell people.
 
LetItSnow said:
I know, I was just being snarky. I've not actually heard an Elite, but I have heard a DLX. The sound was superior than what I hear in my Cardio III, but not enough to make me feel like it was worth replacing my Cardio III. And now that I've got different ear tips in my cardio III that are tremendously comfortable I dunno that I'll ever replace it.

The further through vet school I get the less I care about whether I hear the sounds incrementally better and the more I care about comfort. Unless you're a practicing cardiologist, it's probably not a huge deal to be able to hear things *that* well. So I've kinda switched over to recommending that people give comfort a bit more weight than I used to tell people.
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Makes good sense! Since I don't have a stethoscope yet, I figured I'd invest in the brand that sounded best to me. What ear tips did you get that you found super comfy, and are they Littmann specific, or would they also fit onto a Welch Allyn?
 
Thelemic said:
Makes good sense! Since I don't have a stethoscope yet, I figured I'd invest in the brand that sounded best to me. What ear tips did you get that you found super comfy, and are they Littmann specific, or would they also fit onto a Welch Allyn?
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Heh - it was just the other tip types that come with (I think) most Littmanns. I just never bothered to try them until early this year. I've always struggled to get my scope to sit well in my ear, and one day I happened to remember that there were other tips in the box and figured I should try them. They're MUCH better. So - nothing glamorous or aftermarket or anything like that.
 
Another Welch Allyn question. Has anyone used one of their scopes for large animals? I'm leaning toward the DLX but the head seems taller than the Littman to me (I'd get the double, not the triple), and I'm wondering how easily it would slide up under the triceps. I don't know anyone who has one to ask or borrow to try.
 
I have a slightly off topic question, but what otoscope/ophthalmoscope do you guys use? I don't know anything about them and won't know how to use it for a while, but I won a reeeeally nice welch allyn one in a raffle. It's awesome but I'm not sure if I should hang on to it or sell it (could definitely use the money!) and just buy a less fancy one later.
 
Cyndia said:
I have a slightly off topic question, but what otoscope/ophthalmoscope do you guys use? I don't know anything about them and won't know how to use it for a while, but I won a reeeeally nice welch allyn one in a raffle. It's awesome but I'm not sure if I should hang on to it or sell it (could definitely use the money!) and just buy a less fancy one later.
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I have only ever used welch allyn for that. Their stuff is awesome. Do you need one for school? I only bought them when I opened my own clinic
 
dyachei said:
I have only ever used welch allyn for that. Their stuff is awesome. Do you need one for school? I only bought them when I opened my own clinic
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I'm not sure if I need it for school, I'll ask around and find out. I'm mainly just wondering is there a noticeable difference between the cheaper welch allyn models and the more expensive ones? Because if I sell this one off, I definitely wouldn't intend to save up for it again and would opt for a much cheaper one if I needed to purchase one later - the one I have is the 96370-P.
 
Squeaksmom said:
Another Welch Allyn question. Has anyone used one of their scopes for large animals? I'm leaning toward the DLX but the head seems taller than the Littman to me (I'd get the double, not the triple), and I'm wondering how easily it would slide up under the triceps. I don't know anyone who has one to ask or borrow to try.
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I have a hard enough time getting my Littmann Classic II into the right place without the beast trying to squeeze off all circulation from my fingers with their elbow.
 
Cyndia said:
I'm not sure if I need it for school, I'll ask around and find out. I'm mainly just wondering is there a noticeable difference between the cheaper welch allyn models and the more expensive ones? Because if I sell this one off, I definitely wouldn't intend to save up for it again and would opt for a much cheaper one if I needed to purchase one later - the one I have is the 96370-P.
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I have a hard time imagining needing your own for school.
 
Squeaksmom said:
Another Welch Allyn question. Has anyone used one of their scopes for large animals? I'm leaning toward the DLX but the head seems taller than the Littman to me (I'd get the double, not the triple), and I'm wondering how easily it would slide up under the triceps. I don't know anyone who has one to ask or borrow to try.
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you should ask the LA internists and residents what they prefer - if you are planning to do LA/equine, it may not be worth spending the extra money (i dont think i've ever seen our clinicians use anything really fancy just given the nature of the job)
 
thenuttyclub said:
Yeah. I'm fortunate in that my school gives out Littmann Classic II during the white coat ceremony... my classmates need not worry! But I had purchased my Cardiology III after getting waitlisted in a previous application as a way to steel my resolve, and to get a practical suck-it-up gift for myself 😛
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I'm thinking of asking for a Littman Classic II for Christmas (purple w/engraved bell:smug:) but does anyone else know if other schools give them out to students?
 
Jilary said:
I'm thinking of asking for a Littman Classic II for Christmas (purple w/engraved bell:smug:) but does anyone else know if other schools give them out to students?
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If you're going to ask for a christmas gift stethoscope, go with a Cardio III.

I mean, everyone justifiably has their own take on what sounds best, and it's probably related as much to what fits in your ear best as anything, but.... all other things being equal the Cardio III beats the Classic II hands down for most people.
 
LetItSnow said:
If you're going to ask for a christmas gift stethoscope, go with a Cardio III.

I mean, everyone justifiably has their own take on what sounds best, and it's probably related as much to what fits in your ear best as anything, but.... all other things being equal the Cardio III beats the Classic II hands down for most people.
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Well, I need to ask for a new laptop too since mine is 5-6 years old, and there is only so much I can ask my parents for.
 
Jilary said:
Well, I need to ask for a new laptop too since mine is 5-6 years old, and there is only so much I can ask my parents for.
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You will probably upgrade before practice, at least that's what my profs have told me when we received our Classic II's, so I'm not sure if I would go all out with an engraving for this one but find a name tag for identification purposes. Just my 0.02. 🙂
 
Cyndia said:
I have a slightly off topic question, but what otoscope/ophthalmoscope do you guys use? I don't know anything about them and won't know how to use it for a while, but I won a reeeeally nice welch allyn one in a raffle. It's awesome but I'm not sure if I should hang on to it or sell it (could definitely use the money!) and just buy a less fancy one later.
Click to expand...

I came across a deal on a Welch Allyn Panoptic and macroview(Human, not veterinary) set that was too good to pass up so I own them both. My thoughts:

Panoptic: I actually really prefer this over the standard WA direct ophthalmoscope. The field of view is larger than the standard direct and works fairly well in undilated pupils. I can usually get a good retinal image with this even without having a someone trained to restrain the animal for me during the exam. (If I have an assistant to restrain then I usually prefer an indirect lens).

Macroview: Seems to work well but I don't really have strong feelings for it compared to the standard otoscopes.

I do agree with all the others that there are very few settings where you will need to own your own set.
 
david594 said:
I came across a deal on a Welch Allyn Panoptic and macroview(Human, not veterinary) set that was too good to pass up so I own them both. My thoughts:

Panoptic: I actually really prefer this over the standard WA direct ophthalmoscope. The field of view is larger than the standard direct and works fairly well in undilated pupils. I can usually get a good retinal image with this even without having a someone trained to restrain the animal for me during the exam. (If I have an assistant to restrain then I usually prefer an indirect lens).

Macroview: Seems to work well but I don't really have strong feelings for it compared to the standard otoscopes.

I do agree with all the others that there are very few settings where you will need to own your own set.
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I like the panoptic in general. I prefer the indirect, but it also depends on having the right indirect lens handy for the right situation (i.e. dilated or undilated). Both, of course, beat a direct ophthalmoscope for fundic imaging. I feel like the Panoptic is a better all-around tool to have, though.

I *HATE* the macroview. Not sure why. Granted, I haven't used it a ton, but we had one macroview on GP rotation alongside the standard, and I just felt like I had better visualization with the standard. Maybe it's better with practice.
 
Kind of a random question, does anyone use stethoscope covers? I imagine it might get in the way but I was just curious if any vets use them
 
LetItSnow said:
I know, I was just being snarky. I've not actually heard an Elite, but I have heard a DLX. The sound was superior than what I hear in my Cardio III, but not enough to make me feel like it was worth replacing my Cardio III. And now that I've got different ear tips in my cardio III that are tremendously comfortable I dunno that I'll ever replace it.

The further through vet school I get the less I care about whether I hear the sounds incrementally better and the more I care about comfort. Unless you're a practicing cardiologist, it's probably not a huge deal to be able to hear things *that* well. So I've kinda switched over to recommending that people give comfort a bit more weight than I used to tell people.
Click to expand...
Hey I just got a cardio III and I was wondering about the comfortable eartips you're talking about. I tried all 3 pairs that came with mine and they're all pretty uncomfortable. Did you buy a special kind?
 
Hi all!

Does anyone prefer the Littmann Master Cardio V Littmann Cardio III? I noticed the master cardio is more expensive so I'm just wondering if it's worth it!

One of my top choices for specilization is cardio, if it matters.
 
BIOMMMM said:
Hi all!

Does anyone prefer the Littmann Master Cardio V Littmann Cardio III? I noticed the master cardio is more expensive so I'm just wondering if it's worth it!

One of my top choices for specilization is cardio, if it matters.
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Without having much experience using my stethoscope, I chose the cardio III because of the dual-sided bell. It should be helpful for the smaller zoo/exotic species I'll work with. I've also heard the cardio III makes it easier to pick up murmurs, but I've got no personal experience with that yet
 
At WI, the cardiology department recommended the Cardio III to us. One of the cardiologists said that she as well as other people in her department use them and really like them. Most people in my class seem to be buying them, if they didn't already have them.
 
pinkpuppy9 said:
Without having much experience using my stethoscope, I chose the cardio III because of the dual-sided bell. It should be helpful for the smaller zoo/exotic species I'll work with. I've also heard the cardio III makes it easier to pick up murmurs, but I've got no personal experience with that yet
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I don't have experience with the master classic but like the cardio iii, and I think that is probably one of the most popular models. I probably wouldn't think too hard about what you will need if you do a cardio residency as that's at least 5 if not realistically more like 6 years away. Your needs will probably evolve over time
Trilt said:
I have a classic III almost entirely because it happens to come in a fabulous lime green colour.
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I wish they had had more fun colors back when I bought mine 5 years ago 🙁
 
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