# Steths



## Wingnut (May 4, 2006)

I got another one (kids broke the 2 I had before) and this one has the other bell in the set. Do you guys ever use them, or do they really even make a difference?

Also those damn eartips, I hear best with the hard plastic ones but they hurt my ears pretty bad. I bought the gel tips but I can hardly hear with them. Ya'll have any tricks or you just get used to them as you use it?


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## SwissEMT (May 4, 2006)

Which model did you buy? That'll help us help you.

I'm surprised by your comment regarding the hard earpieces, I've found the soft pieces tend to isolate sound the best when enroute. Can't stand not getting BP due to equipment inadequacies.:wacko:


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## joemt (May 4, 2006)

I have better luck with the gel ear pieces as well.. they provide a better coverage in closing extraneous noise.


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## Wingnut (May 4, 2006)

The brand is prestige medical. Maybe I should go through the earpieces again, but I could barely hear anything with the gel pieces. I have tinnitus in my R ear and it tends to mess with me on the steth, but it's not there all the time, I just keep practicing on my husband to block out the noise.


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## Raf (May 4, 2006)

I don't know anything about steths but I have an ADC and it works great. I can aquire BP's very easily.


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## EMTBSmokeMonkey (May 5, 2006)

Wingnut said:
			
		

> The brand is prestige medical. Maybe I should go through the earpieces again, but I could barely hear anything with the gel pieces. I have tinnitus in my R ear and it tends to mess with me on the steth, but it's not there all the time, I just keep practicing on my husband to block out the noise.




i have a prestige steth, stealth edition, came with a blood pressure cuff.

it has like 5 pieces to hear with, two for the large side and 3 for the small side, large bell and diaphram and two small bells (one smaller than the other) and a small diaphram.

it has the hard pieces for the ears but i use the rubber ones.  they are not gel i can tell you that but i like them.  i can hear so well with them.  i have always hated those rock hard ear pieces.  they feel like someone is ramming a bat into my ear, sideways.

maybe find some rubber tips instead?


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## Wingnut (May 5, 2006)

yeah mine came with a bunch of ear pieces too (and a cuff, penlight, etc. ) The rubber ones weren't bad. Like I said I'll just have to go through them again. Thanks for the help all


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## Guardian (May 12, 2006)

Word of advise, just get the cheapest thing out there, if you're not a cardiologist it won't make a difference


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## JJR512 (May 12, 2006)

Guardian said:
			
		

> Word of advise, just get the cheapest thing out there, if you're not a cardiologist it won't make a difference


Sorry to disagree here but I must. I tried the cheap steths, the ones provided for our use in EMT-B class. I got a Littmann Master Cardiology 3 because I was told by several different people that each step up the Littmann line provided increasingly better accoustics. So I got the top of the Littmann line (not counting the electronic units). I've had the chance to compare them both. And you know what? I'm not a cardiologist, I'm just a lowly redneck bubba farmer brown EMT-B _trainee_, and I could easily tell the difference. I could tell the difference with one ear tied behind my back.

I just made sure to get mine engraved with my name on it, so when it eventually gets stolen, the thief will always be reminded of who he/she stole it from.


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## Guardian (May 13, 2006)

hey, let me ask you an honest question.  What do you use you expensive steth for?  The cheap scopes i use allow me to hear wheezing and rales just fine.  Also, i can determine whether or not someones dead and can alway hear BP plus I've never missed an ETT before. Why would i need a very expensive steth like yours?

_ [Edit by MMiz: Because we respect people on this forum]_


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## JJR512 (May 13, 2006)

Guardian said:
			
		

> hey, let me ask you an honest question. What do you use you expensive steth for? The cheap scopes i use allow me to hear wheezing and rales just fine. Also, i can determine whether or not someones dead and can alway hear BP plus I've never missed an ETT before. Why would i need a very expensive steth like yours?
> 
> _[Edit by MMiz: Because we respect people on this forum]_


If an inexpensive stethoscope works fine for you, then you wouldn't need a more expensive one. The same is true for anybody. You could still buy a more expensive one if you _wanted_ to, but you wouldn't _need_ one. Save yourself some money. I know many people here use "cheap" steths with no problem at all.

However, my point, which I believe was fairly clear, is that there _is_ a difference between lower-end and higher-end stethoscopes, and that difference can be important to people other than cardiologists. I'm not a cardiologist, and the difference is important to me, because I wouldn't be able to use a lower-end stethoscope. Perhaps my ears are not as sensitive, perhaps my sense of hearing isn't as discerning, or perhaps with more training I would be able to use the lower-end units.


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## TTLWHKR (May 13, 2006)

JJR512 said:
			
		

> I was told by several different people that each step up the Littmann line provided increasingly better accoustics.


 

Also doubles in price for each step up.. $40, $80, $120, $160, etc


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## Jon (May 14, 2006)

Guardian said:
			
		

> hey, let me ask you an honest question.  What do you use you expensive steth for?  The cheap scopes i use allow me to hear wheezing and rales just fine.  Also, i can determine whether or not someones dead and can alway hear BP plus I've never missed an ETT before. Why would i need a very expensive steth like yours?
> 
> _ [Edit by MMiz: Because we respect people on this forum]_


I use medium-high grade scopes... a Littmann Master Classic for my job, Littmann lightweight for my jump bag, a cheap knockoff of the ADC cardiology, with good eartip, and my primary scope is a DRG cardiology, bought on closeout for less than $100... I've not spent more than $100 on a scope (the DRG is probably worth 150-200). I'm not a cardiologist. And yes, I can usually hear OK with a crappy scope... *BUT* I like being able to hear B/P's in the back of our noisy ambulances, and I like the comfort of a good scope+eartips. Plus, my hearing isn't as great as others.

Jon


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## RebelRescue (May 14, 2006)

Guardian said:
			
		

> Word of advise, just get the cheapest thing out there, if you're not a cardiologist it won't make a difference



It won't make any difference?????WTF kind of supposed EMT-P are you?


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## Guardian (May 14, 2006)

Good responses everyone, I now better understand your reasoning behind buying the expensive steths...................


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## disassociative (May 24, 2006)

I bought my steth a while back, and I wouldn't trade it for the world, Littmann Master Cardiology. Does a great job when things get noisy on the rig.


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## Tincanfireman (Jun 6, 2006)

I might also mention that some of us older folks have less than perfect hearing from a lifetime of sitting behind Federal Q sirens and electronic speakers mounted on the roof over our heads. Way back in the Dark Ages (say 20 years ago), long-term hearing loss wasn't figured into vehicle design like it is today. After a few years out of the day-to-day EMS biz, I found my trusty old Sprague just doesn't give me the clarity that it once did. Please, take care of your hearing; use those headsets and earplugs when you need them!  
                           TF


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## Jon (Jun 6, 2006)

Tincanfireman said:
			
		

> I might also mention that some of us older folks have less than perfect hearing from a lifetime of sitting behind Federal Q sirens and electronic speakers mounted on the roof over our heads. Way back in the Dark Ages (say 20 years ago), long-term hearing loss wasn't figured into vehicle design like it is today. After a few years out of the day-to-day EMS biz, I found my trusty old Sprague just doesn't give me the clarity that it once did. Please, take care of your hearing; use those headsets and earplugs when you need them!
> TF


Great point - and now, we have policies that the windows must be up when running hot.


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## GaEMT (Jun 7, 2006)

I use the DRG Cardiology as well ($100 from stethescope.com)   I reasearched a lot of them because I too have hearing issues (my ex wife says it is selective hearing loss, but then again she is my ex LOL)   Go with what you are comfortable with.   The DRG has the gel ear pieces and no diagphram.  It uses the safeseal covers to produce a true drum like effect.  I have been very pleased with it.    And yes it is expensive but I am also a grown up who can keep up with their stuff.


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