Prestige Sprague Stethoscope not working for me

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Hi. Im just stated nursing school and I currently have a Prestige Sprague Stethoscope and I am having a difficult time with it. I can somewhat hear heart and lung sounds but they could be louder. Im really having trouble with blood pressure though. I think it is not forming a good seal in my ear. Other students who i let try it were having difficulty as well. Im thinking of getting a littnamm stethoscope instead. Would the Lightweight II S.E. or select be good or would I be better off getting the Classic II S.E. or Master Classic II. Thanks.

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Be sure your ear tips are facing up towards your nose. That helped a bit with my Sprague. I just put in an order for a Littman Master Cardiology though, Im sure there will be a huge difference. ( I hope, it cost $130 more than the Sprague lol) CNA student here, pre Rn program. I hope that helps.:twocents:

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Specializes in Pain Management, RN experience was in ER.

The Littman Classic SE II is a great buy. That's what our nursing school suggested we buy, it used to be a requirement. The Cardio and Master are great scopes to upgrade to, and some would argue that you might as well buy them now instead of upgrading. Nursing school is rough on finances though and sometimes rules those out. The classic really is a great buy, you hear GREAT littmann quality out of it. I've heard the select and light weight lack a little compared to the classic, but I haven't tested the two. I would imagine you'd still hear GREAT quality out of them compared to a sprague. Littmann really just produces amazing stethoscopes, whichever you decide on.

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You can get a very good cardiac model on ebay for $40. Theres a couple different sellers/makes but same sound quality at a Lit. Made a big difference for me.

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Specializes in Med Surg, ER, OR.

Dont go with littmann knock offs from china through ebay or those cardiology clones! Prestige makes a good scope (clinical I) with quality similar to Littmanns at half the price. Check them through ebay or amamzon

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Specializes in Neuro, Med-surg..

I agree with the above poster. Prestige's Clinical series is great. Their Clinical I is a great steth in the same vein as the Littmann Classic II SE. I have a Prestige Sprague ( I love the classic look - I'm a sucker). Anyways, I feel I can hear pretty well out of the Sprague.

To the OP, you're right: it does take correct-fitting ear tips to form a good seal. I actually like the hard ear tips as opposed to the soft ones; they are more comfortable to me and form a better seal (I must have hard ear canals!). But here's the big thing: certain stethoscopes work better for certain people. My buddy tried my Sprague and couldn't hear a single thing out of it. He uses a Littmann Lightweight SE during clinical and lab (a great stethoscope for nursing students, I think). When I use my Lightweight Littmann, I like the soft ear tips over the rigid ones it came with (opposite of my Sprague). Sometimes you need to play around with different configurations to see what works best for you. The Spragues have binaurals (the part between the ear tip and the tubing) that rotate and move. I had to move my right ear binaural quite a bit to achieve a positive seal. My ear canals are evidently not symmetrical, so I had to accommodate the difference in the right ear.

I wouldn't give up on the Sprague just yet, but that's me (again, I'm biased!)

Best of luck! :cool:

John

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:redbeathe My specialty is cardiology; I use a Littmann Cardiology III. It comes with different types of ear tips; I found the squishy ones very comfortable and made for superior sound transmission. It was a staggering difference from the cheapie I was using before.

If you can swing it, the electronic ones are worth exploring. I have Littmann's 3200 model; it can amplify quite a bit, has impressive noise-cancellation and can record and replay what it picks up. It is also Bluetooth-equipped so it can transfer recorded sounds to a computer via the included USB Bluetooth receiver.

The only downside of my 3200 is that, without a battery, it's about as useful as my iPod ear buds (oh, and it looks really impressive :o); no sound is passed through acoustically. If you opt for an electronic model, I would strongly recommend having a good quality standard model as a backup. I have learned to be wary of electronics and batteries that die unexpectedly. (though to be fair, my 3200 has a very visible battery meter on it)

I agree with other posters: buy only from a legitimate source! The last thing you want is a cheap knock-off. My Cardio III came from Steeles (http://www.steeles.com/); the 3200 was a gift from my wife, who doesn't recall the source.

Please post again when the issue is resolved. I'd like to know what the resolution involved and what worked for you.

--David

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ultrascopes are nice next to littmanns

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