Littmann Master Cardiology

[BlackOut]

So I just purchased a Master Cardiology (black edition, damn its sexy) online and had it engraved, it should be done directly on the chestpiece as opposed to the tubing. I understand its an overkill scope for EMS use, but I'm a pre-med student and hope to attend Med School in the future, so I know it will be put to good use.....my reasoning was, "if I'm going to spend a good amount of money on a scope now, why not spend a bit more and not have to UPGRADE later?" Now I'm just waiting for it to come in the mail. My question was, do any of you guys use it and if so has it met your expectations? Thanks in advance for the input!

 

[KEVD18]

its a fantastic scope, but your absolutely correct in calling it overkill for ems. the acoustics are phenomenal. keep your eyes on it. scopes of all brands and quality grow legs, but high end scopes can disappear into thin air in the blink of an eye.

 

[JJR512]

I have the exact same thing: Black edition, engraved chest piece.

I subscribe to the same line of thought: If there's a chance I'll be needing something better later, then buying something cheap now is really just a waste of money, since I'll be replacing the cheaper item eventually. Plus, I like to have the best stuff.

I bought this high-end stethoscope because I couldn't hear a damn thing with the cheap ones in EMT-B school. So I figured if I'm going to get something better, it may as well be the best.

And I had it engraved so that when someone eventually steals it, they'll always have a reminder of who they stole it from.

 

[KEVD18]

engravings are great to, as jj said, remind the thief who they stole it from. that's about it. 5 seconds with a dremel and your engraving is gone. sure, it will be noticeable, but would you be able to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt that it was yours and not someone else's? nope. same thing goes for recording the serial number. the only real way to prevent it from getting stolen is to never let it out of your control.

of course, that wont prevent you from losing it your self. i had a call where i had to carry the pt down the stairs. no cops or fd so i had to carry the bag to. had my scope around my neck, slung the go bag over my shoulder and did the carry down. got to the bottom and took the bag off. my scope came with it. i saw it and immediately said to myself, don't forget to pick that up. then transferred the pt to the stretcher into the bus. went back for the bag and of course, forgot the scope. remember halfway to the H. we dropped the pt off and booted back to the scene(maybe 20min elapsed time). gone. that was how my first master cardio bit the dust. I'm sure some med student at the college(did i mention this was a college call) is doing great with it.

 

[BlackOut]

For those who have it or have tried it, did you experience difficulty "tuning" the tunable diaphragm, from low to high frequencies? I'm just kinda worried since it only one-sided and lacks the bell option....I know the new Littmanns have the joint bell/diaphragm chest piece but not being able to convert it to a traditional bell, scares me.