We help you choose the right stethoscope!
The stethoscope may be the tool many associate most with healthcare, and with good reason. A good stethoscope can help one decide whether a patient needs to be handled urgently or to be able to confirm or rule out many diseases and complications in a smooth and efficient way.
The first image many people have when they think of examinations using a stethoscope is listening to the heart. The classic use for cardiac status is to listen to 4 points in the front of the chest where you can best hear each of the 4 valves in the heart and to listen to the side of the chest below the armpit. With the help of these points and the type of wheeze or whistling sound you hear, you can detect flaps, like condensations or leaks, which can explain the patient's symptoms. Other areas of use for stethoscopes are lung status, where you can e.g. assess whether there is an obstructive or restrictive disease as well as disease progression, blood pressure taking and abdominal status where the ability to determine the presence or absence of bowel sounds can mean a big difference in handling the patient.
In conclusion, the stethoscope is one of one's best friends in the clinic when it comes to patient examinations and therefore it is important to know what is important to consider when buying your first one.
Different stethoscopes have different uses and limitations. Below you can read about the different Littmann stethoscopes and what their areas of use are.
Littmann Classic II Pediatric
This is a stethoscope that is best suited for the smallest of patients. This stethoscope with a smaller chest piece is intended for auscultation of pediatric and neonatal patients and is therefore best if you work in pediatric healthcare.
Littmann Classic III
A perfect double-sided diaphragm stethoscope, used by most clinics, and can be used for both adult and pediatric patients. I would recommend this if you are buying your first stethoscope as this works for general medical examinations and therefore has a fairly general and wide range of use. Compared to the Littmann Classic II, this model has an updated hose that is both easier to clean because the tolerance to alcohol and skin oils and less risk of stains.
Littmann Cardiology IV
A specially designed stethoscope with a double-sided membrane, which is mainly used by cardiologists because the exceptional acoustic resolution of heart sounds. This stethoscope is best suited for cardiologists, the cardiac intensivist, the intensive care unit and for staff working with critically ill patients where quality acoustics are essential. This differs from the Littmann Classic III as the chest piece and bell are wider and deeper on this model, which makes the stethoscope more sensitive to sounds of both high and low frequency, as well as a tube with a double lumen.
Littmann Master Cardiology
What differentiates this stethoscope from the Littmann Cardiology IV is that this only has a floating diaphragm with which you can hear different frequencies by varying the pressure with the chest piece, versus having to turn it over. Light pressure produces low-frequency sounds, while stronger pressure produces higher frequencies. The stethoscope also has a double lumen, which reduces rubbing noise.
Littmann CORE
This is a so-called digital stethoscope where you can vary between amplified and analog listening modes during examinations. With this, you can adjust the volume for what you are auscultating yourself and also save the sounds afterwards in your library to follow disease progression or training. This stethoscope can be used with software on both Android and iOS devices.
To sum up, all the mentioned stethoscopes are of high quality, but are suited differently for different purposes. You can also choose from a selection of colors where I recommend choosing a fun color you like and that also stands out a bit to reduce the risk of mixing it up with colleagues. Another important thing to keep in mind when investing in a stethoscope is to make sure you buy it from an authorized dealer as there are also low-quality copies on the market. This is because you usually get a guarantee of a few years that you can rely on and because stethoscopes often cost between SEK 1500-3000 so it would be a shame to buy a knock-off for that money. The majority of stethoscopes are of high quality and made to last for many years so even if the price seems high the first time you buy one, it is a worthwhile investment.
