Cardiology III for a new EMT-B...Overkill??

JPINFV said:
The bell is best to use for low pitched sounds... like korotkoff sounds.
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I know that, but if you have a tunable diaphragm why would you need it, it is a bell and a diaphragm together
 
sirengirl said:
There's one on e-bay I'm looking at, same case but a bit more.... We'll see how that goes cause the auction ends today.
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YES!!!! Won the auction!!! Master Classic II stealth edition for $76 total!!! :beerchug: hizzell yeah!
 
kr804573 said:
I know that, but if you have a tunable diaphragm why would you need it, it is a bell and a diaphragm together
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I've got the Littmann Classic II SE and it's got a tunable diaphragm. It's also got a bell side, or what looks like a bell side. Granted I'm really new at all this, but I've never heard the slightest sound out of that side. I had about reached the conclusion that although it looks like a bell, it's really just there as a knob to hold the stethoscope with. :unsure:
 
Strap said:
I've got the Littmann Classic II SE and it's got a tunable diaphragm. It's also got a bell side, or what looks like a bell side. Granted I'm really new at all this, but I've never heard the slightest sound out of that side. I had about reached the conclusion that although it looks like a bell, it's really just there as a knob to hold the stethoscope with. :unsure:
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Try rotating the head on the scope. Should hear a click. That's how you switch sides IIRC
 
nemedic said:
Try rotating the head on the scope. Should hear a click. That's how you switch sides IIRC
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That worked! Thanks! I'm not sure what I'll do with my newly-found bell side, but at least I know how to make it work. :)
 
Strap said:
That worked! Thanks! I'm not sure what I'll do with my newly-found bell side, but at least I know how to make it work. :)
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yeah the whole concept is kind of screwed up, if you have a tuneable diaphragm why the hell would you need a bell side? How is the scope overall?
 
kr804573 said:
yeah the whole concept is kind of screwed up, if you have a tuneable diaphragm why the hell would you need a bell side?
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Personal preference for one.
 
kr804573 said:
I’ve had this cheap scope for a few months because everyone said to start cheap, which I agree with, but we’ve done all the skills and nows the time to upgrade even just a little. As far as Littmann’s go how is the Classic II S.E.? ' the only other one I’m interested in even though it doesn't have 2 diaphragms.
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I have never used the bell side on my Classic II. I think it is a great scope, should last for years. I figure if it's good enough for my PCP and three of the doctors that I regularly work with in Sports Medicine, it's more than adequate for me.
 
nemedic said:
Try rotating the head on the scope. Should hear a click. That's how you switch sides IIRC
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This
It took me several weeks to figure this out.
 
i started using a cheapo scope and said i could hear just as good as my moms littman master caridology. then she let me use hers for the last yr and half while she was in PA school and now i have the one from her college thats a welch allen maybe i hate it. it absolutely sucks compared to the littman now im set out to buy the master cardiology black edition i guess i got spoilied but the one i have now sucks
 
It's been discussed a thousand times in a million previous stethoscope threads, but that's fine.

I have a ninja-blacked out Master Classic II, and I enjoy the hell out of it. As a basic the most I ever do is BP and/or breath sounds - I'm not listening for a clicky MVP or anything. That said, the single-sided head offers a lot of convenience if you ask me. It is tunable, as has already been mentioned of the Littmanns in this thread, so with some practice you should be able to auscultate just about anything you should need to hear. Plus, it is thin and easy to manuever around, I don't have to worry about putting a finger on the other side and getting extraneous sound pollution, and I don't have to worry that the head got turned around in my bag or pocket - I know without checking that it's always 'set' to the correct side.

I know a few medics that carry Cardio III scopes, but that's about it. Hell, being a fire-based EMT, most of the full-timers don't even carry their own scopes (ambulance duty is akin to a punishment for most).

At 15/16, I can see no reason for you to carry a Littmann. I was 4 and a half different people between the ages of 16 and 21 - it's too early to tell if your love affair with EMS is a teenage romance or a full-fledged relationship. If you can't afford to lose it, don't carry it yet.
 
I have used both the Cardio III and the ClassicII. My personal preference is the Classic II but thats just me.
 
Yes, it's overkill. You don't need to know nor do you know anything about murmurs and the much cheaper and more durable Classic II can hear breath sounds and blood pressures just as well. Save your money cuz odds are someone will steal your scope eventually.
 
I have had a Cardiology III for about 10yrs and it is decent but I don't feel it's worth the $$$ I paid for it. As an EMT I would not recommend investing in a III unless you plan on going into Paramedic school real soon.

You can get a great scope for a lot less.
 
I use a Littman Lightweight. I bought it off Amazon for $35.00. Great little scope for the cost. Good for taking blood pressures and fair for listening to lung sounds but you're not going to be diagnosing cardiac conditions with it (though I did catch muffled heart tones for a cardiac tamponde patient).
 
For the record im just a little basic but heres my input...

Ive used a couple of the littmann scopes, both work well...Ive got a sprague that came with my BP cuff which also does the job. Personally, I think there are many different things to think about when getting one...If I get a nice one, will it disapear? What do you NEED to do your job? etc...

So many of the people I've talked to, myself included, can get extreme tunnel vision on GEAR that we forget about the basic neccessities. I was given a Master Cardio for a present after passing basic school, and even though I'm still not employed, I know I'll be nervous to take it in to work as it is...

I know we were not trained on different heart sounds, so I'm only using about 10% of what that scope is made for! If you've got the money to blow, go wild, however dont feal like you need to get a $200 scope to get the job done. Hope that all made sense.
 
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