Help with hearing blood pressures...

[tabz4u2]

I can hear blood pressures and I cant. My problem is with the sytolic...I hear the first sound but it is usually so light I can barely tell so I go with the first actual sound I hear...What can I do about this? I failed my test-out and I need to pass it...I was off by a lot and I feel so dumb about it! I had ear infections for 4 yrs and my ear drums are scarred from it..

Any tips would be helpful! thanks!

[akanini, MSN, RN]

I used to have this problem years ago and I found the stethoscope was the issue. I hear so much better with the CHEAP ones for some weird reason. Do you find this problem occurring with all stethoscopes?

[RN&mom]

If you can afford a good quality stethoscope I highly suggest buying one! It makes a big difference. I have a Littmann cardiology III, some people say its more than we need but I can hear anything with it! I know others with the same one and they are happy as well, there are also some less expensive ones that are good as well.

[tabz4u2]

The only problem is I have to be tested out on my blood pressures with a teachign stethoscope and I cant use my own

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Number one reason why people can't hear things well is that they don't rotate the tips to point forward in their ear canals. If you don't do that, the opening in the earbuds will be up against the wall of the canal, and d'oh, you won't hear much. There's a reason why your MP3 earbuds are angled, too (well, the good ones are).

The tips should point at the tip of your nose, pointed down your ear canal, which angles forward. It makes me insane to see the "doctors" on TV wear their steths with the earpieces pointing backwards at their collars, then pull them up into their ears and pronounce whatever it is they hear. Try pointing them forward (the chest-earpiece thing rotates, you know) and tap the tubing before you start to be sure you hear it best where you've put it.

[tabz4u2]

I Can hear the blood pressure but it is just very low for me. I am a little hard o

f hearing.

[Aaic]

I'm hard of hearing also. I will be requesting disability services when I enter a program for this exact reason. I will need to buy a very expensive and very loud stethoscope. Maybe reach out to someone in a disability office at your school about accommodations for this.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

There are stethoscopes with amplifiers.

Also, if you haven't already, a quick visit to an ENT to look in your ears might be helpful. Many years ago I had the same problem and it turned out my eardrums were coated with impacted wax and general crud-debris. PCP didn't recognize it, thought it was just what my eardrums looked like .

ENT doc cleaned those puppies off and it was remarkable. :)

[sbaker935]

Yeah either get them cleaned out, and/or get a good quality stethoscope. Also work with the dual stethoscopes and get the instructors and students to help you listen to what you get and compare values to see if they are similar.

[Caribbean Character]

Watch the dial, it will begin to lightly move rhythmically before you hear the first sound. it will move a little stronger about the time you (normally) hear the systolic. Practice this and it may help you.