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!
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.
What do you mean by twistable?? I cannot figure that out, it would be like twisting a quarter, it doesn't seem moveable! I thought what you were supposed to twist was where the tubing enters the head?
Yes, where the tubing meets the head of the scope, can you twist it? With your left hand, grab the stem where the tubing connects to the head..with your right hand grab the head of the scope and turn..can you turn/twist it? If you can, thats when you need to check to see which side of the head of the scope is now "activated" for lack of a better word, tap one side lightly, can you hear it..if you can thats the side thats working.
There should be a hole (maybe at the top of the head of the scope) that appears to open and close with each turn (click)
What do you mean by twistable?? I cannot figure that out, it would be like twisting a quarter, it doesn't seem moveable! I thought what you were supposed to twist was where the tubing enters the head?
You do twist the tubing where it enters the head. Whichever side the hole is on, is the side which is active. You can't see the hole on the diaphragm side, because the diaphragm covers it. Each side has it's own uses, but you don't have to worry about that for now. Initially you will be using it for blood pressures. I would use the diaphragm, but some prefer the bell. Just try both and see which works best for you.
BacktotheBeach, ADN, BSN, RN
498 Posts
What do you mean by twistable?? I cannot figure that out, it would be like twisting a quarter, it doesn't seem moveable! I thought what you were supposed to twist was where the tubing enters the head?