I can't hear anything with the stethocope i bought?

[italy]

i bought a lightweight ii s.e. littman stethoscope a few weeks ago along with my uniform since i was starting nursing school. i wanted to practice blood pressure since ill be having a validation in a few days. we are using the dual stethoscope that professors have for validation, but i wanted to practice with the stethocope and blood pressure cuff i bought at home. i put it in the right way but i cant hear anything. can anyone tell me what i should do?

[BacktotheBeach, ADN, BSN, RN]

First, be sure the earpieces are pointing 'towards your nose' when you put them in your ears.

Does your stethoscope have a bell (sort of a cup shape) on one side of the head, and a flat diaphragm on the other side? There is a little hole in the center of the bell. When the hole is open, by twisting the head at the end of the tubing, the bell is open and usable to hear low-frequency sounds. If you twist the head the other direction, the hole should be closed, and you can use the diaphragm to hear high-frequency sounds.

If you're trying to listen to your heart with the diaphragm turned "off", it will be muffled and impossible to hear, so that may be the problem you're having.

I think there are some directions for this in the box with Littmans. I had the same problem for awhile.

[italy]

First, be sure the earpieces are pointing 'towards your nose' when you put them in your ears.

Does your stethoscope have a bell (sort of a cup shape) on one side of the head, and a flat diaphragm on the other side? There is a little hole in the center of the bell. When the hole is open, by twisting the head at the end of the tubing, the bell is open and usable to hear low-frequency sounds. If you twist the head the other direction, the hole should be closed, and you can use the diaphragm to hear high-frequency sounds.

If you're trying to listen to your heart with the diaphragm turned "off", it will be muffled and impossible to hear, so that may be the problem you're having.

I think there are some directions for this in the box with Littmans. I had the same problem for awhile.

i tried closing the hole by twisting the bell, but it doesnt close

[Mike R, ADN, BSN, RN]

i tried closing the hole by twisting the bell, but it doesnt close

Super V is right but I don't think you quite understand how it works.

Twist the tube at the base of the bell to spin it around and you'll notice it clicks at certain places. By doing this, you can select which side of the bell you can listen to. Unless it's clicked into on of the sides, you won't hear squat.

Like Super V said, check out the directions

[JROregon, ASN, BSN, RN]

Yes, yes, place your thumb and forefinger on the end of the tube and twist the diaphragm/bell piece till it clicks. Tap with your finger on the diaphragm in both positions to see where you here sounds the best.