Littman Lightweight - am I doing something wrong?

Published

ok - bear with me. i ordered a new littmann lightweight stethoscope from jasco, got it today and i can't hear anything out of it. i turned the head like the book instructs yet can't hear much unless i tap on it loudly. am i doing something wrong or is this just not a good scope?

on a funny note - i was telling my baby brother (22) about this and he laughs and says "did you put it on charge before you used it?!" lol what a card.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER, NICU, NSY and some other stuff.

If the ear pieces are not positioned just so you will not hear anything. Try adjusting them a bit and see of this helps.

Good luck

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Utilization Management.

Sometimes you have to practice with them a bit before your ear can pick up on the sounds you're trying to hear. Also, I don't know if it's possible with your model, but my Littman allows me to move the earpieces a little bit so they fit my ears better and thus block more ambient noise.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

thank you! i was able to improve what i heard by adjusting the earpieces better but what i find uncomfortable is the stems themselves seem so bent inwards. i'm thinking this might be just with the lightweight. not sure whether to keep them or not, i have to really push them in to hear well. might not be the best model for me to use.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

This may seem like I am picking on you..I really am not..but are you sure you have the earpieces in your ears correctly?

If you have them in the wrong way you won't hear properly.

I don't know how to explain this but the ear pieces need to fit into the ear opening so that they angle toward the canal..which in turn fills the opening blocking outside noise. The earpices almost look like you are putting them in backwards when you are actually putting them in correctly.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I also have a littman and if I have the earpieces in backwards, I can't hear anything. Try turning them around :).

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.

I'm thinking earpieces too. If you put it in with the curve going one direction you will hear nothing...flip the entire scope around and the curve will be different and put it in and you will hear.

Have you tried flip it over and listening?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Almost everywhere.

Yep, I agree with the above. Try turning the scope around. I had to learn that too. It seems that Littmann's go in your ears opposite of what you think when you look at the scope. It is uncomfortable and you can't hear anything when it's not in your ears right.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

now looking at the scope you can see the curve of the ear stems and if you put them in how you would 'think' they go in, i can't hear squat. if i turn them around where if i look at the ear pieces they are actually curving away from me and put them in, i can hear crystal clear.

i actually thought, surely these don't go in this way, it doesn't even look natural to me but i could hear with them that way. strange.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

hold the stethoscope in front of you at an eye level. then flip it so that the earpiece are pointing away from you (it will look odd) or backwards like someone said, then put it in your ears. it will fit in properly and also block the noise so that you could hear well. good luck!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

yes, this was how i was using them when i heard properly. thank you. please tell me i'm not the only idiot who put them in thinking they'd look goofy used the other way? :o

Up Vote Up Vote ×

regarding: "i'm not the only idiot who put them in thinking they'd look goofy used the other way?"

no you are not the only idiot. it happened to most of us, eventhough we might not be bold enough to admit it. so you are not alone. welcome to the club.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion