Vitals sounds and sethoscope

Published

Hi everyone

I think this is my first (or maybe second time) posting in the nursing student forum, i'm usually hanging out in the general one.

Anyway, So I'm a first year nursing student, and next week we will be doing vital signs, taking blood pressures/pulse/respiration.

I was wondering if anyone has links to BP sounds, what it should sound like with normal BP and what it should like with abnormal BP, I'm not sure if there is such a thing as pulse sounds but if there is are there links availble? Also respiration sounds (normal and abnormal) Any step by step demo videos available on the web? I appologize if this is a repeat, and its posted somewhere here that I missed.

Also, my bestfriend gave me a stethoscope for my birthday, its a Littman's Classic II S.E. Anyone has this model of stethoscope? I've tried listening to my own heart and I can't hear ANYTHING and I'm beginning to think maybe I should go out and buy a new one. I just hate to have to do this since she went out of her way to get me one. Everyone keeps telling me to turn the diapharm, i've tried this and it doesn't work (i don't think I really understand what it means to "turn the diaphram" ) it didn't come with an instruction guide, and I'm getting a little nervous that i'll be in lab next week and I won't hear anything and just mess my lab up. Plus it doesn't help that one of my classmates let me test out his stehoscope, he had a littman cardiology something or the other and i could hear the people down the hall talking (good grief!)

Any advise?

~M

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, IM, OB/GYN, neuro, GI.

When your taking a blood pressure the sound your going to hear is a thump. Easiest way to do this is to pump the cuff up to 160 and let the air out slowly the first sound you hear is the systolic the last sound you hear is the diastolic. Just make sure you're looking at the gauge so you can get the reading. I don't think that there are any abnormal pulse sounds unless your listening by a PICC line.

The respirations are done by visualization. You're just watching the person breathe for 1 min. Hear is a donwload for breathe sounds but it doesn't relate to getting a patients vitals it's for doing an assessment save it you'll need it later. http://www.rale.ca/LungSounds.htm. Here's one for heart and lung sounds on Littman's website http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Littmann/stethoscope/education/heart-lung-sounds/.

The stethescope that you were given is a good one. The ears should turn in one way or another so make sure that they are going into the canal. The bell on the bottom is double headed. All you have to do is turn it. If you look into the bell you will see a hole that's the side that yoo will be able to hear from. If it's not pointing at the larger bell then turn it. Here's the website to learn how to use your stethescope http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Littmann/stethoscope/products/stethoscope/

There is also a contact us spot if you are still having problems. Littman's have a lifetime warranty I believe.

Hope this helps good luck.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in DOU.

Be sure when listening to lung sounds that you aren't over the bones, or you won't hear a thing.

That being said, I am having a hard time hearing lung sounds on large people or women with large breasts. :(

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

there is a virtual blood pressure cuff that you can play around with at this website:

  • http://medicine.osu.edu/exam/ - from ohio state university college of medicine, an interactive guide to physical examination for 8 body systems that includes sounds. uses a flash player. to access the blood pressure cuff, scroll down to "objective iv" and click the link that says "take a blood pressure". when the player comes up, you can re-cycle the player over and over to hear and input blood pressure readings that it quizzes you on. i believe there is also a link there to hear some lung sounds.

the definitive tutorial on heart and lung sounds is the auscultation assistant

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for this awesome info everyone, this will really help me out this week while i prep for lab and clinical!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, ER, Peds ER-CPEN.

when you hold up your steth, the tips of the ear pieces should be pointing away from you, it looks wrong at first but you get used it, I have the same one and I love it, so far I've been able to hear everything I am aiming for, haven't had much chance to try for the hard stuff yet tho

Up Vote Up Vote ×
When your taking a blood pressure the sound your going to hear is a thump. Easiest way to do this is to pump the cuff up to 160 and let the air out slowly the first sound you hear is the systolic the last sound you hear is the diastolic. Just make sure you're looking at the gauge so you can get the reading. I don't think that there are any abnormal pulse sounds unless your listening by a PICC line.

The respirations are done by visualization. You're just watching the person breathe for 1 min. Hear is a donwload for breathe sounds but it doesn't relate to getting a patients vitals it's for doing an assessment save it you'll need it later. http://www.rale.ca/LungSounds.htm. Here's one for heart and lung sounds on Littman's website http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Littmann/stethoscope/education/heart-lung-sounds/.

The stethescope that you were given is a good one. The ears should turn in one way or another so make sure that they are going into the canal. The bell on the bottom is double headed. All you have to do is turn it. If you look into the bell you will see a hole that's the side that yoo will be able to hear from. If it's not pointing at the larger bell then turn it. Here's the website to learn how to use your stethescope http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Littmann/stethoscope/products/stethoscope/

There is also a contact us spot if you are still having problems. Littman's have a lifetime warranty I believe.

Hope this helps good luck.

Thanks for the sethoscope tips, I can FINIALLY hear my heart beat!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
when you hold up your steth, the tips of the ear pieces should be pointing away from you, it looks wrong at first but you get used it, I have the same one and I love it, so far I've been able to hear everything I am aiming for, haven't had much chance to try for the hard stuff yet tho

Thanks zookeeper, yeah I had the earpieces turned the wrong direction and I was trying to hear through the flat part of it where that big L is, once I turned it to the part where the little hole I, I could hear EVERYTHING! I feel so much better now I'd have had a serious guit trip if I had to go buy a new one after my bestfriend went through all that trouble of getting me a nice one and spending all that money on it. She's in med school and I know she doesn't have money like that to spend.

Anyway thank you for your tip.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
there is a virtual blood pressure cuff that you can play around with at this website:

  • http://medicine.osu.edu/exam/ - from ohio state university college of medicine, an interactive guide to physical examination for 8 body systems that includes sounds. uses a flash player. to access the blood pressure cuff, scroll down to "objective iv" and click the link that says "take a blood pressure". when the player comes up, you can re-cycle the player over and over to hear and input blood pressure readings that it quizzes you on. i believe there is also a link there to hear some lung sounds.

the definitive tutorial on heart and lung sounds is the auscultation assistant

daytonite this is what i was looking for, thanks for your help!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, IM, OB/GYN, neuro, GI.
Be sure when listening to lung sounds that you aren't over the bones, or you won't hear a thing.

That being said, I am having a hard time hearing lung sounds on large people or women with large breasts. :(

Our instructor told us to lift them up or go down the side a little.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion