what stethoscope would you recommend buying?

[healthnut]

Which stethoscope(s) would you recommend a first year to purchase? It seems Littmann is a trusted brand...but this brand offers several versions. What do you look for in a stethoscope?

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[Agent Splat]

Which stethoscope(s) would you recommend a first year to purchase? It seems Littmann is a trusted brand...but this brand offers several versions. What do you look for in a stethoscope?

if you can, wait and see if your school has some sort of equipment sale. at MCW, we have a sales group come in every fall and they show off several different brands and models. prices are usually pretty decent, and it's a good chances to try them out and find one you like best.

 

[Random]

Additionally, I'd do a search on stethoscopes. This topic's been discussed a fair amount and really, the bottom line is that it's personal preference. Ideally, it's a scope you'd feel comfortable using and can hear reasonably well with, though in reality, recognizing what you're hearing is something that takes a lot of time and practice.

 

[PBandJ]

Which stethoscope(s) would you recommend a first year to purchase? It seems Littmann is a trusted brand...but this brand offers several versions. What do you look for in a stethoscope?

my school highly recommends the litmann cardiology III version. but definitely try before you buy.

 

[ZagDoc]

Second the "try before you buy" mantra. General consensus is that the litmann cardiology III and the welch allyn elite are the two best for learning heart sounds. Preference seems to be on a personal basis. I found the welch allyn elite louder and more able to distinguish the lub-dub (its what I got).

Also remember, the shorter the tubing, the louder the sounds are going to be. Most physicians recommend 18-20" to learn on. Stay away from the 24-26"ers.

 

[Law2Doc]

Also remember, the shorter the tubing, the louder the sounds are going to be. Most physicians recommend 18-20" to learn on. Stay away from the 24-26"ers.

However those extra couple of inches could be a benefit for the rare patients who don't practice good hygeine.

 

[GBFKicks]

I got the Littmann Master Classic II and like it just as much---and it's about half of the price of a Littmann Master Cardiology. When asking around about which kind to buy, all the physicians whom I talked to told me that the Master Cardiology would be excessive for us (whether it's easier to hear the sounds or not).

Don't go with the hype... just get what you feel comfortable using.

 

[yalla22]

we need a stethescope for first year?

 

[TMP-SMX]

we need a stethescope for first year?

Depends on your curriculum. For us it is at the end of the year.

 

[silas2642]

Second the "try before you buy" mantra. General consensus is that the litmann cardiology III and the welch allyn elite are the two best for learning heart sounds. Preference seems to be on a personal basis. I found the welch allyn elite louder and more able to distinguish the lub-dub (its what I got).

Also remember, the shorter the tubing, the louder the sounds are going to be. Most physicians recommend 18-20" to learn on. Stay away from the 24-26"ers.

I agree with Law2doc-- go with the 27" tubing-- patients can really smell bad, and you're really going to want the extra half foot of distance from their stinking, sweating, filthy, fatty flesh that is just a petri dish of all sorts of wonderful esoteric bacteria.

Always try a stethoscope before you drop the dough on it-- make sure it is comfortable and that it fits you well. Make sure you can hear heart sounds and lung sounds clearly. I went with the Master Cardiology because I can't hear anything, so I wanted the best quality scope I could buy.

 

[63768]

i tried the littmann cardiology III and the welch allyn elite and couldn't see any advantages of the movable biurnals esp in light of the price difference.

that being said, the cardiology III is something that i can carry into residency and beyond so that's the one i'd recommend.

 

[lord_jeebus]

Yes! It's the time of year for stethoscope threads!

You all must be new or rusty because no one has said "try a search" yet.

 

[akinf]

i keep hearing the littmann cardiology III is quite good because of the option to use it for peds and adult cases. also, i read somewhere that the extra tubing doesn't present a noticeable difference with physicians so i'd go for it. i'll likely go for a longer tubing partially because of my height - i won't have to be as close.

 

[DrMom]

However those extra couple of inches could be a benefit for the rare patients who don't practice good hygeine.

or the patients who are 40"+ wide because they weigh so much.

 

[deleted87716]

or the patients who are 40"+ wide because they weigh so much.

In those cases, Littmann's veterinary stethoscope could come in handy...32" long. During downtime, you can use it as a jump rope.

 

[DrMom]

In those cases, Littmann's veterinary stethoscope could come in handy...32" long. During downtime, you can use it as a jump rope.

I've had multiple 550+lb patients lately. That'd definitely come in handy!

 

[brookliner7]

In those cases, Littmann's veterinary stethoscope could come in handy...32" long. During downtime, you can use it as a jump rope.

hahahaha!

 

[Hausdaddy24]

I'm not yet in med school but I'm about to start an EMT course which requires a stethoscope. Do you all think these recommendations still apply? Should I go ahead and drop the money on a nicer scope that I could potentially use in med school or should I get a cheaper one just to get me by until then? I do plan on using my EMT certification for a year or so before I apply if that matters at all. Thanks

 

[albe]

When I took my EMT class, the instructors recommended us getting fairly cheap stethoscopes if we wanted extra practice (we weren't required to have one because they were provided in class). I just went to the local CVS and bought a set that included a sphygmomanometer for under $30. I don't know the way your curriculum works, but I doubt you'll need a cardiology-grade stethoscope (like a Littmann Cardiology III or Welch Allyn Harvey Elite). Email the instructor and see what he/she says.

I would hold off on a nice stethoscope until medical school. They might have specifics as to what to buy.

 

[RokChalkJayhawk]

As an EMT I essentially had to:

A) Is the heart beating? Check.

B) Can I get a blood pressure? Check. (Maybe more difficult in the back of a moving ambulance but still doable.)

C) Listen for breath sounds. Check.

You probably only need a cheap stethoscope for this stuff. That and in EMS stuff tends to get shared/inadvertently traded/lost. I think that unless you plan on entering a Medicine/nursing program in the near future, you should just buy one that allows you to hear all the above.

That and get one with a random color (ie green/purple) it'll be easier to keep track of.

 

[Repeat]

If you're trained well it doesn't matter what stethoscope you use. I know professors with fisher price "my first stethoscopes" who do fine with them. So just buy a decent littmann which will last a long time, but don't spend all that extra money because it won't make a difference.

Maybe if you're a (resident) cardiologist it's worth it, but otherwise it isn't in my opinion.

 

[CindyLou]

as an EMT I used just a basic cheapish stethoscope....I just bought my Littman Cardiology III and OMG wow do I feel way cool now that I can hear so much more clearly

 

[dogpython]

i agree with the others, as an emt, you dont need a good scope at all, just need to be able to get bp, resp sounds, etc., definately not going to need a cardiology grade scope...additionally i know that expensive scopes walk away or are left at scenes, etc., and to be honest as an emt i never really actually needed one because the truck and jump bag always had one on it!

 

[howelljolly]

I was an EMT, and a Paramedic. As a medic, I was an auscultation nut, and would listen for S3 before I filled my patients with diuretics. Now I'm a med student and an even bigger auscultation nut.
To answer the question, Id recommend an ADC Cardiology. a)You can hear everything loud and clear, b) its ergonomically designed, which makes a difference when you're on a job, c) its affordable.

 

[bookmedic]

As an EMT or Medic (more as a medic) its a tough call. As an EMT I used a cheapish one (and subsequently lost it and a few of its successors on calls). Couldn't hear much over the diesel anyway. As a medic I have a Master Cardiology which works Great and I can now actually appreciate things like S3 and precise lung sounds. But I keep a tight leash on it.

 

[howelljolly]

One point about the Littmann Cardiology III. It's the most common med student stethoscope. Its all about marketing, though. Five scopes in one, Tunable technology, theres a display table right in front of the lecture hall on the first day of med school, as a first day med student you dont know any better... and a bunch of other selling points. Try not to get reeled in.

I, for one, really really dont like the tunable diaphragm.

If you really want to learn something, search for old posts by KentW.

Its nearly impossible to do your own side-by-side comparison with stethoscopes, without looking like a clown.

Just yesterday I took a manual BP with a Welch Allyn Harvey for the first time, after having taken them with Littmanns and ADCs about a zillion times over the last seven years.
I, like most others, didnt bother distinguishing the Korotkoff Sounds, and just took the BP as (first beat/last beat). With the Welch Allyn, I clearly heard the 1st, 2nd 3rd and 4th Korotkoff sounds whether I wanted to or not. I had to go look up how to take a BP again because I couldnt remember which of the sounds to use for the BP. (The answer is the beginning of the 1st and 4th types, out of the five types of sounds).

My point is, sometimes you dont know what you are missing, because you never heard it before. So, if you are interested in auscultation, the type of scope probably matters... as well as what's between the earpieces. I'll put another shameless plug in for Welch Allyn

 

[deleted87716]

My point is, sometimes you dont know what you are missing, because you never heard it before.

Agreed.

There's some good discussion about the merits of the standard bell and diaphragm in these threads:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=253778

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/archive/index.php/t-117198.html

 

[dogpython]

I posted this thread that has a poll of the different stethoscopes a little while ago...it gives an idea of what the distribution of stethoscope brands among everyone is.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=445501

 

[howelljolly]

If you're trained well it doesn't matter what stethoscope you use. I know professors with fisher price "my first stethoscopes" who do fine with them. So just buy a decent littmann which will last a long time, but don't spend all that extra money because it won't make a difference.

Maybe if you're a (resident) cardiologist it's worth it, but otherwise it isn't in my opinion.

Thats actually a really good point, I think. Make it a Welch Allyn, though. the binaural spring is much stronger. Littmann's non-chill rings seem to fall off too.

 

[maestro1625]

Depends on your curriculum. For us it is at the end of the year.

first week here...

edit: and I chose my scope based on color...

 

[baylormed]

Most of the people in my class (myself included) went with the Littmann Cardio III. It's not so expensive and it's one of the ones recommended by the faculty and other students, so I figured there had to be some truth to it.

 

[howelljolly]

The Littmann III is not so expensive?? Buy me one!

 

[baylormed]

The Littmann III is not so expensive?? Buy me one!

Well, you know, compared to the $300+ stethoscopes, and it's one that you can probably keep using into your clinical years (as opposed to the crappy ones). As long as you can keep yourself from losing it (**touching wood**) it is a good investment.