Published Jul 27, 2009
Thank_You_RNs
57 Posts
I am thinking about buying a cardiology stethoscope but I am stuck between the DRG Pure Tone Staff Cardiology ($154.98) vs. Littman Cardiology III ($159.98) at www.allheart.com. Anyone has any opinion on which is better? I heard Littman has a great reputation. But some say DRG is also as good as Littman.
LTC Lady
25 Posts
Well i use the littmann cardiology III and i love it. In a study done in NJ rated it over all best stethoscope saying "The Littmann Cardiology III is an easy winner for the best stethoscope. It had high ratings in each of our test systems. It is efficient, making it easy to hear heart sounds even in patients with COPD. It readily discerned all heart sounds, including clicks and splitting of the S2. It had good ergonomics. It is pocketable, so it will appeal to surgeons as well as internists. It uses a small diaphragm in place of a bell, which in practice was no drawback. The small diaphragm was just as useful as a bell in achieving acoustic coupling on irregular surfaces, such as a bony patient. It does have a "tunable diaphragm" but the soft pressure required to accentuate low frequency sounds greatly decreases the sound volume, making the "bell mode" of the diaphragm of minimal usefulness. Overall it is an excellent choice and is well suited for internists, family physicians, pediatricians, surgeons, and nurses. It's relative freedom from external noise interference also makes it a great choice for an EMT worker."
Hope this helps!
Emergency RN
544 Posts
i am thinking about buying a cardiology stethoscope but i am stuck between the drg pure tone staff cardiology ($154.98) vs. littman cardiology iii ($159.98) at www.allheart.com. anyone has any opinion on which is better? i heard littman has a great reputation. but some say drg is also as good as littman.
(i hope this comment isn't too late, as the op was written in july 09, lol...)
as someone who actually owns a drg pure tone staff cardiology, i would say go with the littman, the drg pure tone is a piece of crap, and i'm sorry i ever bought it. the sound of the drg was so soft and indistinct that i eventually tired of not being able to hear things and had to go buy a littman. there is simply no comparison between the two.
buy the littman!