Steth tubing length

Alternator81 · Jul 25, 2007

Hi...
I'm wondering if there is a standard or "better" tubing length for your steth?
I just ordered my Littman cardiology III which comes standard with a 27 inch tube, however my school said the shorter the better, i.e. 12 to 16 inches, there wasn't even an option for shorter tubing length from Allheart for the Cardiology, but when I tested the Littman at the store it did seem superior for me for hearing...so I just went with it.
TIA

Shorter tubes = better acoustics. The longer the tube, the further the sound has to travel. For instance the Littlman Master Cardiology, which I have, is really short. Its just long enough to wear around my neck. It comes in a short 22 inch option.

Stethoscopes are usually measured from the ear-piece down to were it connects on the diaphragm-- I think that your teacher might mean where the two earpieces connect (in the middle) to the diaphram, about 12 inches.

Kitty Hawk, ADN, RN · Jul 25, 2007

Shorter tubes = better acoustics. The longer the tube, the further the sound has to travel. For instance the Littlman Master Cardiology, which I have, is really short. Its just long enough to wear around my neck. It comes in a short 22 inch option.
Stethoscopes are usually measured from the ear-piece down to were it connects on the diaphragm-- I think that your teacher might mean where the two earpieces connect (in the middle) to the diaphram, about 12 inches.

Ah I see, thank you! I'm guessing if Littman made it this way, it'll be fine. Interesting all the different quirks that different schools have.

SarasotaRN2b · Jul 31, 2007

Hi...
I'm wondering if there is a standard or "better" tubing length for your steth?
I just ordered my Littman cardiology III which comes standard with a 27 inch tube, however my school said the shorter the better, i.e. 12 to 16 inches, there wasn't even an option for shorter tubing length from Allheart for the Cardiology, but when I tested the Littman at the store it did seem superior for me for hearing...so I just went with it.
TIA

I would thnk that the best option would be to keep your tubing at this length until you actually get to listen at different lengths. I'm sure at school you will see that some of the students have shortened their tubing. If you find that the 27 inches is fine for you...great!, otherwise, you'll have a better idea of what length would work for you. I know that I'm going to have to shorten mine, but I figure, I'll wait until I can test which will be better.

Kris

Ronnie22 · Jul 31, 2007

Shorter length = closer to patient...keep it long.

Psqrd · Aug 1, 2007

I like enough length to keep my face away from the patients. I have been called in a couple of times for patients that have turned up positive AFB tests. I know its only a skin test but its another worry for the family while waiting the 48hrs to see if it is positive or not.

Keep it at its longer length is my recommendation...the cardiology scope is truly an awesome scope and I plan to get one real soon, I can't imagine that the extra length could be anything that the average human being (without dog ears) would be able to detect.

Just my 2cents! P2

silas2642 · Aug 5, 2007

Hi...
I'm wondering if there is a standard or "better" tubing length for your steth?
I just ordered my Littman cardiology III which comes standard with a 27 inch tube, however my school said the shorter the better, i.e. 12 to 16 inches, there wasn't even an option for shorter tubing length from Allheart for the Cardiology, but when I tested the Littman at the store it did seem superior for me for hearing...so I just went with it.
TIA

Don't listen to your school-- you definitely don't want to go with the 22" scope. The "better acoustics" are marginal at best, and the shorter tube length puts you five inches closer to your smelly, sick patient. Go with the 27" like the rest of your colleagues, especially since you're dropping 125-150 bucks on this thing.

IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Aug 6, 2007

I had researched this before for an instructor who insisted that we needed to cut the tubing on our scopes. There was no way in the world I was going to cut it without doing research. I have a Littmann Master Cardiology and I wasn't about to cut that until I had information from them.

I reported this to my instructor who was shocked...I was not shocked.

Needless to say I did not cut my scope's tubing. The key is to keep it taught and/or to have it touching as few things as possible to cut down on sound from outside sources.

http://www.3m.com/intl/au/healthcare/3M_Littmann/jhtml/short_vs_long_tubing.html

Quite often health care workers raise questions regarding tubing length based on early publications claiming shorter tubing length provides better acoustic response. Some instructors have recommended their students buy the shortest tubing possible. In an attempt to clarify the information surrounding tubing length, Littmann stethoscopes has tested their product line to offer the following information about tubing length.

To explain our test results, it will be helpful to compare the tubing of the stethoscope to a garden hose. For example, an increase in the length of a garden hose will decrease the pressure at the end of the hose as a result of frictional and other internal forces. The same effect occurs when the tubing length of a stethoscope is increased. However, in the case of stethoscope tubing, change in length is relatively small; this decrease in acoustic pressure is not detectable by the human ear.

Additionally, as tubing length increases, resonant frequency decreases. Considering this fact, an increase in tubing length provides a better response to the lower frequency sounds (an advantage in auscultation). Many heart sounds fall below 150 Hz and are considered low frequency. Because it has been shown that the human ear is least sensitive to low frequency sounds, improved low frequency response is an advantage.

Taking these two factors into account, there is no detectable difference in acoustical performance between Littmann stethoscopes with shorter tubing vs. those with longer tubing. In fact, there may be some enhancements to low frequency sounds.

When purchasing a stethoscope, the health care practitioner needs to consider their own needs and practices. Longer tubing might be more appropriate for people wearing the stethoscope around their neck as it drapes better. The practitioner's height and arm length should also be a factor to determine optimal tubing length. Many practitioners would like a little more distance from sicker patients while auscultating. Longer tubing also reduces the amount needed to bend over the supine patient which can stress the practitioner's lower back.