Is my Littman Stethoscope a fake??!!

[sixthwannabe]

So I bought a used littman classic II SE stethoscope off of ebay. It appears to be perfect. However, when I tried to use the scope, I could barely hear my own heartbeat. I can, however, hear bowel sounds.

I do not know what a stethoscope should sound like, nor do I really know how they should look like.

The scope does have the littman clear cover on the end you press to your skin/heart/stomach, and there is a littman classic II SE engraved on the outside rim.

However, I heard that people can indeed change parts on a littman with other brand's parts, sometime with inferior parts.

I am afriad that this is what happened becuase last week I used my friend's (who is a vet student) $15 dollar scope to listen to her little chiuhuahua dog's heartbeat and could hear it really really strongly (the dog had just eaten chocolate and was having activated charcoal pumped down her stomach) however. with a 60 dollar littman scope I can't even hear my own heartbeat!

I did notice that I can twist the tube going into the round part you put near your heart and it increases and decreases the sound. Is that the tunable diaphram? I cannot move the rims at all

thanks so much! I'm completely clueless unless nursing school starts and if this scope is a fake I have only a week more to return it!

[ohcomeon]

Thsi may sound crazy...but have you tried turning the entire head of the stethoscope around. I have that same one and you can flip it around. One side is for the diaphragm and when you turn it around to the other side you can use the bell.

[RNMeg]

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? If so, you should be able to see 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 :)

[lsk40]

mine did the same thing my teacher told me that it was in between the bell and the diaphragm turn the tubing part and that will turn on the bell or the diaphragm

[K+MgSO4, BSN]

Have you got it in the right way? I am not being rude but if you put the earpieces in the wrong way you will hear very little. Try turning the scope around. Also over how much breast tissue were you trying to hear you heart?

[Sarah010101]

are you listening in the intercostal spaces? I mean i can never hear anything when I am over bone lol.

and yes the position of the bell will change the frequency of sounds that you hear. As well as the earpieces should go down your ear canal.

As well.. did it come in a littmann box? with the certificate that its real and all that?... I know it was from ebay but is it a trusted dealer by 3M Solutions: Littmann? If you go on their websight you can see who are the authorized dealers

[mikeicurn, ASN, RN]

Stethoscopes have two different "modes" for listening to both high and low frequency sounds. Traditionally the modes are changed by twisting the head of the stetho. I am pretty sure the classic II has this traditional set up. You have the diaphram side (looks like the top of a drum and says Littman on it), and the bell side (looks like a cup or bowl with no diaphram on it). You can hold the tubing still, and twist the head around 360 degrees. There should be 2 detents where the head sort of "locks" in place while you turn it. Look down inside the bell side of the stetho at the little hole in the middle, while you twist the head. It will be solid most of the time, but when you hit one of those detents you should see a hole appear. Then your stetho is in bell mode, and you should use that side for listening. Now, turn the head 180 degrees to the next detent, and your stetho is now in diaphram mode, and you use the diaphram side for listening.

You mentioned the "tunable head". That is a different design of stetho. My master classic II has that, it only has a diaphram side, no bell side. When you place the diaphram lightly against the skin, you are listening in bell mode and can here low frequency sounds better. When you press the diaphram down against the skin with a little force you switch to diaphram mode for high frequency sounds.

I hope this helps.

[anonymurse]

I bought a Allheart Cardiology Stethoscope when it was on sale for $15. Sonically, it flat wails the tar outta my Littman Classic II SE, and what's more, I know it's a genuine cheap Chinese scope. I mean, who would want to copy that?

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

I used a $5 stethoscope for years until somebody stole it :-( it worked great but I am sure who ever now has it thinks it is an expensive one.

My littman was no better to be truthful-sometimes you just need to get it atuned to your ear and I am sure you can hear through anything

[healthstar, BSN, RN]

My stethoscope is ( Prestige Medical) and I love it.

[BacktotheBeach, ADN, BSN, RN]

I am having the same sorts of trouble with my new Littman. It is a Classic II SE i bought new and had engraved my Medisave.

MikeRN2Be and RNMeg, I followed your descriptions. So should the little hole on the bell be open or closed to listen to normal heart sounds? I am really frustrated, but hope it will be cleared up in school this fall, but I may feel like a complete idiot :)

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

If the head of the scope has a big round side and a small side and it is twistable, you can always check to see which "side" of the head of the scope is on by LIGHTLY tapping the part you'll put on the pts body..I said LIGHLY tap it..again LIGHTLY. Otherwise your ears will be ringing for a while if you tap it hard. If you can hear the tap, thats the "side" that you're going to be able to hear from.

I always do the light tap to make sure that the head didn't get twisted since my last time using the scope. You'd be surprised how easily it seems to do it.

Also like the other poster said, make sure you have the ear pieces in your ears the correct way.