Any opinions on Welch Allyn Professional Stethoscopes?

[j_tay1981]

I realize from lurking that the "what's the best stethoscope for students" has been covered fairly thoroughly. In fact, people get extremely passionate about their steths . Hopefully this post isn't too redundant...

I am in my fourth week as a nursing student. I am still practicing taking vitals and whatnot. A friend of mine gave me a Welch Allyn (Tycos) Professional model steth to use in school. I used it a few times, but at first found it overly sensitive. Every bump of the lumen, every finger press on the bell made a loud rustling noise. I couldn't hear the brachial pulse during BP's.

I though it was possibly the fault of the steth, so I (foolishly) bought a Littman Classic SE II b/c it was so highly regarded by students and instructors (and people online swear by them).

Frankly, I can't tell much of a difference. The Littmann may be slighlty louder through a shirt while listening to apical pulses, but that's about it. I also find that the "2-in-1" diaphragm doesn't seem to work that well for me. I guess I was expecting to be blown away by the Littmann, and it seems to be on par with the Welch Allyn. And after working more with the WA, it seems to be clearer sounding to me (though still very prone to artifact noises, more so than the Littman).

Is there any big difference between the two? Is one more sturdy, or more sensitive? Is this all just a matter of lacking practice with ascultation? And is that double diaphragm all its cracked up to be? Does anybody have expereince with the WA Pro model? Are there any other brands that you would recommend for a noob student?

Basically, which should I chose? I didn't really see a point this early in the game keeping both...

[neonatal_nurse]

I think any brand is fine. Just as long as it's in good working condition. When I was a student my classmates bought Littman (which is expensive). I just used a generic, no brand stethoscope. It worked out fine, I still have it with me. Remember that what matters is not the brand of the steth, which is more sensitive or etc., but how you discern or distinguish these sounds for proper assessment of your patient. You have to learn this by heart, because sometimes you may not be carrying your own steth and have to use the unit's.

Just sell the other one. Good luck!

[j_tay1981]

neonatal_nurse,

Thanks for your reply! I realize there are a TON of "what steth is best" threads floating around the internet, so I hate to add to the mass. I find that the Welch Allyn Pro (my gift steth) is a bit more sensitive than the Littmann, assuming I'm using the tunable diaphragm on the Littmann right. Unfortunately for the WA, that means that lots of artifacts are present when the lumen or bell brushes on something. I find that to be distracting and it makes it tough for a novice like me to listen for what I need to hear. The Littman is quieter (in terms of canceling out background noises and artifacts, and is a smidge heavier.

Would I benefit more from using the Littmann due to the lessened extraneous noise as a novice nursing student, or would I do better with using the WA and learning to discern what's important and what is not?

I ask this because I could not for the life of me find the receipt for the Littman, so I just went ahead and attached one of those engraveable name tags on the yoke (to hopefully prevent a walk-off). Having a second steth on hand seems more prudent than relying on just one .

But which should I use for my student assessments? I have vital signs check off in a few days!

[AugustRain]

This may sound silly, but are you sure that your steth has a tunable diaphragm? I have a Classic SE II that I bought last year - when I read the Littmann website, I was under the impression that I would have a tunable diaphragm, but I found out that the Classic SE II has a "regular" diaphragm/bell.

Try putting on the steth (I assume you have it in the right way, since you can hear already!), then flip the head over so the bell is facing the patient and the diaphragm is facing up. Hold your breath and listen to your carotid, you should be able to hear from the bell.

Also, you're right, the Littmann can be sensitive to other noises when taking BP. I learned to make sure that the tubing from the BP cuff stays away from the diaphragm, and to either place two fingers on the diaphragm in a "V" shape or hold the rubber part of the bell. We used the lab's dual-headed steths for our check outs, but it was a helpful tip for real patients.

[j_tay1981]

AugustRain,

Thanks for the response. The side of the box and the instruction manual that came with the Littmann said that it had the tunable diaphragm, and gave instructions to use it. I thought it was odd that it also came with a traditional bell opposite the diaphragm. It seemed redundant to me! But I'm pretty sure that it has the 2-in1 diaphragm. I'm just not sure if I really like it...

I did my BP and vitals check off today with the instructor and we used the school's two-person Sprague steth so she could listen in. I did just fine, and could hear everything well. Since both the Littmann and the Welch Allyn are so pricey, I ordered a $20 Sprague Rappaport from Amazon so in case I lose it (or somebody 'borrows' it) I won't feel too bad. I may still return the Littmann if I find that receipt, though...I'll just have to carefully cut that ID tag off of it