is an expensive stethescope worth it?

Alex562

Alex562

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Hi guys i start training this monday should I buy an expensive stethoscope im trying to apend around 150 is it worth it to get one or theres not much difference i feel like ill have trouble taking bps in the back with a regular stethescope what did you guys do? Thanks
 
I use a cardiology III from litman and notice a big difference between that and a cheap one. So i personally dont think it would hurt to have a decent stethescope.
 
I have a Cardiology III stethoscope as well. I'll say this much about stethoscopes... while you generally get what you pay for, if you don't know what you're listening for, the best stethoscope won't help you. You're going to want a steth that you can learn on and take with you into your work. Look at stethoscopes between about $35 and $75 and you'll have such a stethoscope. Once you know what you're listening for and your ears are accustomed to the task, you'll be able to use the very cheap $4 steths if you need to. Eventually you'll be "ready" for a good steth because you'll be able to pick apart the sounds you need and your first decent steth will become your backup.
 
I wouldn't spend more than $50 starting out, since that fancy stethoscope will be stolen real fast. An EMT isn't going to be listening for the subtle heart tones and lung sounds that a high-end stethoscope is designed for.
 
I think it depends. If you'll be doing IFT, then it's not very important. If you'll be doing emergencies with some regularity then I emphatically I vote "yes". Nothing is worse than not being able to get a solid blood pressure that you're confident in. And very often the sicker the patient, the harder it is to hear or palpate the BP... You will save yourself a lot of stress by just going straight to the Cardiology 3 or similar level of stethoscope.
 
As an EMT you probably wouldn't need a high quality one. You should get something cheaper like the person above me mentioned, no more than 50 dollars. There is really no point in buying something expensive for something so simple.
 
I would recommend buying a $30-60 one to start out with for a few years. You really have to train yourself not just what to listen for, but also how to listen. I know that sounds odd, but there are things about using a stethoscope that aren't easy to describe over an Internet forum. For example, holding it certain ways will allow for less noise interference, pressing down in certain ways can have different effects...

If you learn on a stethoscope that isn't amazing, then you will be able to use a wide range of stethoscopes with great confidence.

Someone gave me this same advice (which I followed) when I started out, and while I could afford a nice one right off the bat, I'm glad I didn't get one. About 5 years into EMS, I bought a Littman Cardiology III, which is awesome, and I do feel that I get a beneficial edge out of it now. However, someone can toss me a $4 stethoscope during a trauma or something and I can use it well enough to get the job done at the moment, a skill which I would not be able to do if I had only ever used nice stethoscopes.

Additionally, there isn't much difference in stethoscopes until you're talking about advanced assessment skills: something I developed after I'd been a paramedic for a while. Meaning, if you're just taking a blood pressure, or listening for generic epigastric sounds, or simple bilateral air movement in the chest, you won't really experience anything different with any type of stethoscope. Once you really understand the high and low sounds in all lung lobes/fields, how to listen to different portions/sections of the heart or abdomen, that's when an expensive stethoscope really shines.

Instead, spend your money on: books/classes after initial training, college courses in things like anatomy/physiology/pathophysiology/microbiology/nutrition/psychology, a nice (but not necessarily elaborate) pocket knife and a nice but small flashlight (one with a low enough setting to be used as a pen light, and high enough setting to be used for searching/signaling/self defense. However, none of these things are necessarily crucial either. Just an opinion of what has helped me the most. When it comes to stethoscopes, your "software" skills before you go buy great "hardware".
 
joshrunkle35 said:
Additionally, there isn't much difference in stethoscopes until you're talking about advanced assessment skills: something I developed after I'd been a paramedic for a while. Meaning, if you're just taking a blood pressure, or listening for generic epigastric sounds, or simple bilateral air movement in the chest, you won't really experience anything different with any type of stethoscope.
Click to expand...

I don't find this to be true, in my experience. When listening for blood pressures, there is a big difference between my Littmann Lightweight and my Littmann Cardiology 3, and there's a world of difference between my Cardiology and the $5 el-cheapo that they stock the trucks with. A good stethoscope just makes everything easier.

I don't find the ability to "be able to use a wide range of stethoscopes with confidence" to be particularly relevant, either. I have never had to use a stethoscope that wasn't my own while on a call. I keep mine in the first-in bag, so unless the bags get mixed up or it gets stolen or something, I shouldn't need to use anyone else's.
 
I have bad hearing and those cheapo scopes just dont do it for me on those bumpy back roads. I got a littman master classic when I got into EMS 8 years ago and still use it today as a PA (as a back up when I forget my cardiology 3 at the office ;)

I say go for it, nice/new tools are always a good idea
 
I have a Littman classic, got it off Amazon for about $70. Worth. Every. Penny. You don't have to go full high-end, but get yourself something decent. I have found that I just cannot hear well enough with the cheap ones the company has on the trucks. I'm not 20 years old anymore and I was around airplanes too long.. I need the boost in quality the higher-priced, better Littman gives me. You don't need to spend $200, but get something in the $50-$100 range. It's worth it.

Edit: Here's the one I bought. I love it. Yes it's pink, other colors are available. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040PG24Y?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00
 
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Thanks guys you guys are awesome good feedback i just order mine on amazon
 
I started with a cheap $10 stethoscope from CVS and couldn't hear crap during my clinicals and was often having to borrow the stethoscopes of the EMTs/Medics I was riding with. Soon as my Financial Aid deposited, I went out and bought the Lithman Classic, and I've very glad I did so. The difference was tremendous when it came to listening for lung sounds. I think I paid around $90 for mine.

I was advised against getting the Lithman Cardiology, by my instructor. He said they pick up too much of the surrounding noise when you're in the back of a moving ambulance.
 
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