LONG stethoscopes

[vinni]

Can anybody recomend a light weight LONG tube stethoscope? I'm 6'3", prefer taking manual BPs and like to listen to lung, heart and bowel sounds. Just your basic assessment needs. My 27" long Littmann is giving me a real backache.

Thanx-

vinni

[Jay-Jay, RN]

You can order a longer tube for it. When I got my Littman, the tube was so short, I had trouble seeing the BP monitors on the wall in the older units of the hospital...had to crane my neck at an awkward angle. I ordered a longer tube, and everything was just fine after that. No need to change stethescopes. Ask first if it will change the acoustic properties significantly. It didn't with mine, but then, it's an amplified stethescope.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

I know what you mean. A former NM had read somewhere that the shorter the tubing, the better the sounds, so she cut off ALL the unit's steths to 20". Was almost like whiplash just to take a BP. That's when I bought my first Littman!

[ktwlpn, LPN]

I always preferred longer tubing-don't have to inhale anyone's post-op or ileus breath...But-and this is abig draw back-that long tube can be used as a weapon by a confused, angry patient....Can really put a hurting on you.....