quantitative stethoscope comparisons?

[tyler]

hello,

I've noticed that when a question similar to "Which stethoscope should I buy?" is asked in the forums, there are two "camps" that answer--one advising to buy nothing less than the Littmann Cardio III and the other recommending nothing better than the Sprague-Rappaport. Along similar lines, if I asked which car I should buy, people would probably either recommend a Mercedes SL500 or a Kia Rio! (I own a very practical Subaru Forester).

The question is, there have to be better and more practical solutions between the two extremes. Are there any quantifiable comparisons published that measure sensitivity and the like? If not, can anyone contribute more to the dicussion than the stereotypical "I had a Sprague and now I own a Littman Cardio III, I'll never go back" or "I had a $120 Littmann and it sprouted legs and now I only use $8 Spragues"?

On our floor, I've seen mostly mid-priced Littmanns (Lightweight II SE, Classic II SE, and Master Classic II) although one nurse only uses the disposable isolation stethoscopes!

Thanks in advance for any replies.

ty

[BluegrassRN]

I had one of the cheaper littman models for the last 5-6 years. I think I paid about 50 for it. It was oval shaped and did not have a bell; rather, it had only one listening surface. I didn't know what to do with the bell, anyhow. I work on an acute medical floor, and it is fine for that.

I've upgraded my education a bit (RN working on BSN) and recently completed a health assessment class. While most of the class was nothing new to me, I did develop a greater understanding about the heart and the various heart sounds. A couple of weeks ago, my Littmann stopped working (everyone had diminished breath sounds and distant heart sounds...). I bought the Littmann Classic II SE. Wow, what a difference.

Part of the difference is my increasing knowledge (I actually do now know what the bell is for!!!), and part of the "wow" is that the Classic is a better stethoscope than the one I had before.

Will it improve my practice, this stethoscope? Probably not much, if any at all. If I worked in the ICU, I would definitely upgrade to an even higher grade stethoscope. Likewise, if I were doing physical assessments in an office of some sort, I'd want the higher grade. I'm not currently working in a setting where I need to differentiate between a grade 2 and grade 3 murmur, or where I'm auscultating for bruits, etc. But I'm at the point in my practice now where I do appreciate having a nicer stethoscope. The theory I'm learning in class is nicely complimented and reinforced by my practice at work, now that I can hear better! Again, not that it makes a difference in the overall care I provide. I do feel it makes me a better nurse overall, though. More knowledge never hurt.

[Ayvah, RN]

This is an old thread, but maybe this will help someone who is looking for a numerical comparison of steths. Granted these are only the littmann types, but still useful I think

Compare Stethoscopes Side-by-Side – Littmann® Stethoscopes – Cardiology Stethoscopes

[pers]

The only study I've ever seen is http://www.forusdocs.com/reviews/Acoustic_Stethoscope_Review.htm which I found in another post here.

[achilles82]

I have owned a a few cheap ones, sprague rappaport, littmann master classic II se, master classic II single head and the master cardiology which i am currently using. Value for money you cant go past the master classic II single head which i think performs just as good as the master cardiology in my honest opinion. In saying that though choosing a stethoscope is more based on personal preference of what you feel works best for you. If you can, go down to a store have a listen with a few different ones or ask your colleagues if you can borrow theirs and see what works best for you. I would still be using my master classic II if I hadn't lost it,the master cardiology gets a bit heavy round the neck by the of end of my shift.