Posted by The best medical stethoscopes are one of the most important tools in healthcare that EMTs, nurses as well as other medical professionals ought to have.
Now, with so many styles available, in different price ranges, many EMTs and nurses who would like to upgrade their equipment to stay abreast with the latest trend in technology might have difficulty choosing one since you can’t actually try out one before buying.
Types of the Best Medical Stethoscope
Stethoscopes come in different types and have models like Littmann Master Cardiology Stethoscope and Littmann Classic II SE.
Recording
The recording stethoscope is a special electronic variety, which can be connected to a recording device. It is used by some doctors to consult a variety of medical cases with other doctors.
If a doctor meets a patient who exhibits bodily sounds which they are not familiar with, they can have the sound recorded and have other doctors listen to them. With the recording, consultations can be made quickly and efficiently with the recording of the stethoscope.
Acoustic
The acoustic stethoscope is the most popular in the market currently. It is the original stethoscope model. Here, the sound is transferred from the diaphragm via a series of hollow tubes that run through the headphones.
Thus, the air inside the hollow tubes serves as a means of transmission. The acoustic stethoscope has two sides of the chest piece. The diaphragm is responsible for transmitting high-frequency sounds, whiles the ball, on the other hand, is responsible for detecting low-frequency sounds.
Fetal
Otherwise known as fetoscope, Fetal stethoscope looks like a trumpet and doctors place it in the belly of pregnant mothers in order to listen to the baby inside the mother’s uterus. The Fetal stethoscope is the invention of a French Obstetrician, AdolphePinard. The fetoscope now has a modern version, where the basic model is intertwined with some characteristics of a stereophone.
Electronic
Otherwise called a steno-phone, the electronic stethoscope uses electronic transducers, to convert body sounds to electronic signals that can be amplified. It is a very expensive version of a stethoscope. Now, this stethoscope is not frequently used by doctors because it is very uncomfortable to use. They are used for special applications like diagnosis and remote monitoring. Stenophones can be given a wireless connection to enable doctors to control the vital signs of a patient remotely.
Benefits of Owning a Stethoscope
With a good stethoscope, you can do the following;
Measure Blood Pressure
Using the stethoscope to measure blood pressure is probably the most common use of a stethoscope.
Evaluation of Lung Sounds
This enables you to identify the frequency, rhythm, and quality of breathing, obstructions of the respiratory tract and smears that indicate inflammation of the pleura.
Best Stethoscope for Nurses
3M Littmann Classic III Monitoring Stethoscope
This is the right price range stethoscope for nurses who are working in noncritical environments. This piece is very sensitive and can be used for complex physical assessments on children and adults. It comes in very handy in non-critical settings like primary care. It comes in a tubing length of 27 inches, which makes it one of the shorter stethoscopes in the market.
For this model, there’s a tunable diaphragm and separate pediatric and adult sides for the chest piece. If necessary, the pediatric side of the chest piece can be converted to a bell through the use of a non-chill rim.
3M Littmann Classic III Monitoring Stethoscope is phthalate and latex-free and offers a five-year warranty, and customers can choose from a choice of more than 20 tubing and chest piece color combinations.
What’s Good?
Has a convertible chest piece.
Best for pediatric use.
What’s not so Good?
It can be difficult to use in louder environments.
It can pose difficulty in hearing more nuanced sounds.
ADC Lightweight Clinician Stethoscope
The ADC Lightweight Clinician Stethoscope is considered one of the most lightweight in the market, weighing only 100 grams. Its tubing length is 31 inches and the ergonomic design makes it the best stethoscope for nurses who wear their stethoscope all day.
This piece has a diaphragm and a bell, which allows for accurate auscultation of both high and low-frequency sounds. It also has an extra diaphragm and an additional pair of silicone ear-tips which are both included with purchase and also comes with a five-year warranty. It comes in 7 tubing colors.
What’s Good?
- It is lightweight which makes it comfortable.
- It is budget-friendly.
What’s not so Good?
- May pose difficulty in hearing more nuanced sounds.
- It can be difficult to use in louder environments.
Best Stethoscope for Cardiologist: 3M Littmann Cardiology IV Diagnostic Stethoscope
The 3M Littmann Cardiology IV Diagnostic Stethoscope is top-rated in the $100+ price category. Weighing 167 to 177 grams, it is considered the heaviest stethoscope. It’s tubing length options includes both 22 and 27 inches.
As a diagnostic stethoscope, it is essentially designed for advanced applications and excels in varied environments including the emergency department, ICU, as well as cardiology practices. The tuneable diaphragm of this piece is built to enable clinicians to hear murmurs, aortic stenosis, as well as faint cardiac abnormalities more easily.
With this model, high-frequency sounds are heard more loudly with greater clarity. Also, it’s advanced sensitivity makes it the best stethoscope for EMT fieldwork and the best stethoscope for nurses, especially nurse practitioners as well as those in cardiac ICU. It comes in nine tubing colors and seven chest piece choices including a rainbow-finish chest piece option. It offers a seven-year warranty.
What’s Good?
- This piece excels in varied environments.
- It enables easier hearing of high-frequency sounds.
What’s not so Good?
- It is heavy.
- It is not as comfortable as other models.
Best Stethoscope for Medical Students: 3M Littmann Lightweight II S.E. Stethoscope
The 3M Littmann Lightweight II S.E. Stethoscope can be said to be the best stethoscope for nurses as well as for EMT. This piece comes with a number of appealing features that users will find useful.
From its 118 grams, which makes it the lightest stethoscope of the Littmann brand, to a tubing length of 28 inches, and a chest piece that is shaped like a teardrop to enable it to fit more easily under blood pressure cuffs than other models.
This stethoscope also has what is known as a tunable diaphragm. With it, clinicians cam hear both high and low frequency sounds just by adjusting the pressure on the chest piece. The light pressure is used for hearing low sounds, while the firmer pressure can elicit higher frequency sounds. This piece, is manufactured in the U.S., and comes with a two-year warranty and is also available in seven colors.
What’s Good?
- It has a user-friendly tuneable diaphragm.
- It is the best stethoscope for easy measurement of blood pressure.
What’s not so Good?
- It only comes with a two-year warranty.
- Not good for advanced physical assessments.