Stethoscope

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#Future.MD.12

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Getting a new stethoscope as a gift for graduation. Just wanted to get some opinions on which stethoscope most people like. I know this has been talked about in other threads, but most of those are several years old. Anyone care to compare Cardiology III vs. Cardiology IV vs. Master of Cardiology? Also compared to Harvey Elite vs. triple head vs. DLX?

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I can't remember if I have the Harvey DLX or the Elite, but the sound quality is superb and you can't go wrong with either. I think they're better than the Littmanns.


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Elite looks kinda like a Littman Cardio 2 but is twice as good.

DLX has the brass head (which does extra duty as both a reflex hammer and a truncheon during a patient attack in the ED) and makes the Littmans sound like the yellow plastic C-diff-o-scopes.
 
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Thanks, I couldn't google image it earlier. They look nothing alike, just as you described. I would liken the brass head of my DLX to the business end of an ankylosaurus, if need be.


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The triple head looks dumb, and unless you're Med-Peds or FM with a big peds practice, it's overkill.

The triple head isn't necessarily for Peds, it has a normal diaphragm, corrugated diaphragm for mid to low heart sounds, and a bell. Lots of cardiologists use this one.
 
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Anecdotally, I've had someone who was a Harvey user (not sure which model) borrow my Littmann Cardiology Master and comment on how much better it was. I've never used any of the Harvey stethoscopes, so I can't compared. I love my Master and feel like it usually allows me to hear way more detail than I know what to do with. The only drawback is that listening to carotid bruits can be a pain given how big the head is.
 
Anecdotally, I've had someone who was a Harvey user (not sure which model) borrow my Littmann Cardiology Master and comment on how much better it was. I've never used any of the Harvey stethoscopes, so I can't compared. I love my Master and feel like it usually allows me to hear way more detail than I know what to do with. The only drawback is that listening to carotid bruits can be a pain given how big the head is.

I've used both and anecdotally while the Littmann may be slightly louder in volume (and thus to many sounds "better), I thought the Harvey's I used sounded "cleaner".
 
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I've used both and anecdotally while the Littmann may be slightly louder in volume (and thus to many sounds "better), I thought the Harvey's I used sounded "cleaner".
This is the major difference I see/hear between them. Littmans are clearly louder, so you can avoid doing annoying things like putting the stethoscope directly on the skin. But you can also hear the MA out in the hallway talking s**t about the front desk staff about as well as you can auscultate an S4.

The Harvey DLX is quieter, but much more precise. I can't hear anything other than what I've put the diaphragm up against.
 
I had a harvey and hated it - sold the ungainly thing to buy a Littman. Agreed that it's clearly louder. As a resident I really think that loudness is going to be the most important thing for you, so I'd recommend a Littman. Maybe the Harvey is more precise for cards fellows or attendings, but in my experience the kiddos with Harveys struggled to hear anything at all so the precision never mattered. Littman's also look better to me, but that's obviously just personal preference.

All those fancy bells and whistles aren't necessary unless you're doing cards. My stethoscope has never been the limiting factor in diagnosing a murmur - it has always been knowledge and experience and will almost certainly continue to be so. End of the day, stethoscopes are like golf clubs. I'm not shooting in the 90s because my clubs suck (they do) - I'm shooting in the 90s because I'm not good at golf. Get whichever one you like better and use it constantly - listen closely to every patient you admit, try hard to ID the murmur, etc.
 
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I use a Littman. The florida heat used to melt my some other branded stethoscope but that was a long time ago


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I have a ThinkLabs. I lost my old scope, had to buy something new, and decided to try it. Ultimately, I think I'm happy with it. It def takes some getting used to, as it picks up lots of noise. But it looks cool.
 
What ever happened to that product Stethee ..?
 
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