Are cardiology Stethoscopes harder to uses?

[Rmedin19]

I was just curious. With all the expensive cardiology stethoscopes out there, are they harder to use because of the increased number of sounds you can hear? In others words, is it hard to tell the multiple sounds apart with the improved acoustics? i am looking at a dual lumen stethoscope but it is a cardiology version. It is this one: . I know everyone is sold on littmann but I have heard that at least half of what you are paying for is the name. I was also looking at this one: Cardiac Direct:: 1-888-EKG2YOU :: MDF 2-N-1 Sprague Rappaport Stethoscope 767X. It is a spague rapport but with its fused design I am assuming it functions more like a dual lumen. Your thoughts?

PS I am not into nursing school yet, I am working as an MA so I want to keep the price to a minimum if possible. Thank you.

[Rmedin19]

Thank you guys. So I will stick to my cheapo sprague rapport for a while. Just out of curiosity though, what do you think about the two stethoscopes I placed the links for (only one worked but the address is still there)?

BTW I tried a $100 littman and the ADC 615 and the ADC was slightly better I thought. I could head respirations much better. The heartbeat in most is audible anyway. I did not get a chance to test it on a murmur.

[anonymurse]

Here's a review of acoustic stethoscopes that'll get you thinking:

http://www.forusdocs.com/reviews/Acoustic_Stethoscope_Review.htm

[j_tay1981]

I have the MDF 767x Sprague and I really like it. It's a heavier stethoscope, but the fused tubing eliminates the tube rubbing issue many people complain of. The ear tips are also super comfortable. I think that it's built better than other Spragues I've tried (like the Prestiges). The tubing seems sort of stiff at first but it does loosen up with usage. It's pretty durable. If you keep you receipt, MDF has a lifetime parts-replacement program (though I've never used it). Which ever scope you chose keep close tabs on it. They DO wander off in busy hospitals.

[Shirt]

I've used a couple Littman Cardiology Stethoscopes and in all honesty (to me at least)there wasn't much of a different when compared to my Sprague Stethoscope I got in my CNA class. Granted the Littmann's clarity was better but that was really about it.

Ps I don't know how old the Littmanns were either maybe they needed replacements and no one got around it?

[anonymurse]

Since my beloved Thinklabs ds232a bit the dust (it started making a loud swishing sound so I mailed it back this week; hope they can fix it at a reasonable price), I got on a cheap-but-decent scope search lately.

I skipped the obvious econo-winner, the Omron Sprague Rappaport. This is the dominant scope on our tele floor and can usually be found with the tubes taped together to prevent them from rubbing together and introducing extraneous noise into the sound. It sounds good to me, maybe in large part because of the stereo sound afforded by the two separate tubes. The earpieces are hard so they really bother me, but they may not bother you. It's cheap enough that people routinely leave theirs lying around when they go home. Not even interns will steal them.

Shipping on a stethoscope normally costs around $10, but with the Omron Sprague Rappaport, you'll have by far the cheapest cardiology scope deal going if you add it to your next amazon.com book order and make sure your total is high enough for the free shipping.

My single-tube Littmann Classic II S.E. was out of the running 'cause it's just a hair too quiet for these old ears. It would be fine if I worked in an office, I guess. Sound is nothing to write home about.

Also out of the running is my Master Classic II (another single-tube design), simply because I can't find it. It's really good on breath sounds. It's a pain to use for heart tones, because pts don't like it when I press on the pressure-sensitive single diaphragm, but it's breath sounds I really need to hear. They can change from minute to minute.

I'm not willing to pay lots more to hear heart tones super-well, because they don't usually change (except for the one cardiac tamponade I identified in 3+ years). Yeah, it's a thrill to hear something nobody has heard before, but whereas we have the authority to call for a breathing tx, we're not gonna order up a MVR (nor will our docs 'til far better tests than auscultation are run).

Anyway, to answer the question in the subject line ("Are cardiology Stethoscopes harder to uses?"), yes, diaphragms that re-tune their frequency response depending on how much pressure you use are harder to use. And the cardio scopes with shorter tubes are naturally harder to use, plus you might not want to get that close to the pt, and he might not want you to get that close to him.

I bought the Allheart Cardiology scope on sale for $15 (I get their sale e-mails, this is normally $25, shipping and sales tax added $9.66). They've fixed the problem with the earpieces being threaded the wrong size as noted in the forusdocs.com comparison test, for which they got dinged 5 points in the review. It has a nice, loud, detailed sound, possibly due to having two independent tubes molded side by side in one piece. This may become my permanent scope.

I like this Allheart better than the Delphi Cardiology III ($80, bought new on eBay for $32, no tax, free shipping), which is also loud and detailed, also having the "two tubes molded in one piece" idea. However the Delphi has problems I choose not to live with.

The Delphi is loose as a goose in the rotating head joint, plus has a weird stepped diaphragm that works like magic for breath sounds when lightly placed, but I left it out in the car and it warped like a potato chip. Also this diaphragm turns inside out in a heartbeat and then has to be peeled off the scope, re-dented, and re-installed (neither fast nor fun). I'll try it with the spare Allheart diaphragm and see how that works out.

[Shirt]

Those shipping fees are redic

[Rnstudent2011]

I had a similar stethoscope when I first started in nursing. The one shown might be a bit lighter due to PVC vs. latex tubing, but mine was heavy...I would have liked to have kept it draped over my neck, as that's what I did in those days, but about halfway into the shift, I would get a bit swoony from it pressing on my carotids. It was too bulky to keep in a pocket (once again the PVC version might not be that way). I ended up getting a much cheaper, sleeker, and lighter model that I could easily coil up and slip into my pocket. Beware that stethoscopes can disappear in a moment if left at the desk, on the cart outside of an isolation room, etc.. Sometimes it might be actual theft, but our docs would sometimes just grab a scope laying about to check someone and walk off with it, perhaps leaving it on a different unit. Make sure it is labeled and engraved if you can. I believe a jeweler can engrave them for you.

I have seen a couple hip holders to they dont have to fit in your pocket or be around your neck all the time. The holders are less than 10 bucks at allheart.com