I've used a Littman Classic II throughout my 4 years as a medical student. It even had my name engraved in the bell. I loved it and swore by it. I finally lost it in my second year of residency. I'm an anesthesia resident so the heart and lung exam is among the only things I reliably need to do. I recently purchased an MDF MD one stethoscope and found the build quality and performance far superior than my Littman classic II and it only costs $55. I think that purchase strikes a balance between a performance stethoscope and not being too much of a burden on the wallet. I hated using that disposable one when my classic went missing. I will have to disagree with your advice for medical students and those who are just learning to hear lung sounds. They should have a good stethoscope so they can learn to hear the lung and heart sounds at their most optimal. If I had to do it all over again, I would of used a Littman cardio III throughout my medical school. If you need a budget scope, the MDF MD One performs just short of the cardio III while being about 70% cheaper. Great video to bring up the topic though. Losing your stethoscope in certain fields is much more common than others.
You are wrong about the importance of a good stethoscope. It is vital in the EMS field to make snap decisions so that we can give an accurate report to you docs. Its saved lives more than i can count.
The most important advice I can give to a novice student is: don't buy the single lumen. Buy the double lumen. Why? Basically there are two factors which are important in listening to heart sounds: experience of the doctor and the quality of the stethoscope. As a novice doctor your experience in listening is not as good, so the best thing is to buy the best equipment. Try them and you will hear that the double lumen is far more louder than the single lumen. You can hear a heart murmur through a sweater, which is not possible with a single lumen. Because as a novice doctor you are not yet experienced in listening to the hartsounds. That's why it is very important to have a better stethoscope. It is expensive but worth the money.
I saw one of your stethoscopes with the brand of the company I work for. It's also true that some lower priced stethoscopes can sound better than the more expensive ones.
It's not the stethoscope who hears things, it should be you. Your ear is the one that matters the most. Littman is only a class symbol, it shows that you are rich enough to buy it, it is not necessary.
In 24 years (4 years as a student, 20 as a physician) I owned only two stethoscopes: First one was a Littman Master Cardiology, which after 12 years was so worn down I had to buy a new one. The new one was a Littman Cardiology III which I still use today. I can't understand how one can loose his stethoscop?
Yes sir, speaking the truth. ER/CC RN here and I have buddies straight outta school that go for the Cardio III, yada yada and it either breaks or goes missing. Seen it too many times. I use a 10 yr old $30 Littmann my wife used in nursing school and I can hear everything I need to. It has value, but more so sentimental, being my wife's.
I have a Sprague Rappaport that i've had since i started in EMS at the age of 14, I recently replaced it as I disliked that it was heavy and too short for me to do my patient assessments. I currently use an ADC Adscope 609 which i was impressed on how light it was and the quality of sound!
Unless you are a nurse, like me, who constantly monitors patients. A good stethoscope is priceless. Especially to patients whom forgo the expense of intubation due to a diligent nurse recognizing the early signs of respiratory distress.
The littmann electronic stethoscope is best needed on an ambulance where you have noises and sounds all around you. That's where the noise cancellation and amplification works best.
Doc, you should know there are many environments which do not have electronic diagnostics immediately available. What about nursing homes or rehab centers, or Alaska or Africa where facilities are hundreds of miles away. Its cozy to think MRIs and CT machines are only on the next floor. But I can't agree with you that the stethoscope ls no longer is a useful tool. You need to experience health care outside of a hospital.
+DrER.tv how did it go? And in response to the original comment: yeah i do emt work until i finish college then medical school and i use a stethoscope for everything some people think its stupid when you see an emt with a stethoscope but it gets used so much its crazy
I was looking for some advice for buying my very first stethoscope and i found your advice quite useful. its only a bonus that im going to RCM also. Saludos desde Puerto Rico. Exito! Y lo de las demandas, nosotros somos humanos. Es cuestion de aprender de nuestros errores y como tu dices mantenerse humilde, cuestion de siempre estar dispuesto a aprender! :D
My Littman tubing cracked and I wasn't able to replace it immediately. I pulled off my Littman bell and shoved it into the disposable stethoscope tubing. Worked well enough to get me by.
I agree with you about cheap stethoscopes, in the environment you work in they are more likely to break or be stolen. Maxiscope is a good stethoscope, costs $40 with excellent acoustics. Even better is the allheart cardiology, it's just as good, even BETTER imho to the Maxiscope, and it costs $25 regular price, but it's frequently on sale for $20 or less. You can buy a bunch of them for the price of one ultrsacope(@$99), or Litmann.
Wow! How can you say that you can listen well with the disposable stethoscope you are showing. I am using the same one temporarily as my Littman one just broke (the tube) and I can tell you that it is awful, you can barely hear anything. It's like a toy stethoscope to me....
Carlo I agree with you I have a cheap single head stethoscope which works fine for me for EMT use plus if it gets lost you can replace it cheaply. Litttmann are over rated in my opinion
From what this guy says in that a cheapo disposable with good ear pieces works and that may not even be needed when you can clearly hear the patient coughing or wheezing, diagnostic testing advancements we have today... God help his patients. Speaking as an ER RN, a great stethoscope has proven invaluable especially when time is of importance. I'm glad he doesn't work along side me. Side note: learn how to pronounce medical terms "bruits"
The Cardiology III is an excellent stethoscope and I trust it to help me listen to BPs, lung sounds, bowel sounds, and heart sounds when I'm in the back of the truck going down the road or in the house with the pt and their loud ass family members.
Dude, this guy has a bunch of malpractice suits against him... just google him. Damn, that's why residencies prefer if you went to school INSIDE the U.S. and not in the other U.S. entities like Peurto Rico, Virgin Islands or foreign countries.
***** I'm just saying, a regular person like me who sees the suits won't go to you for medical opinions. You might be a great doctor and respected by your peers, but people are scared to find this out. Nobody has time to learn the specifics for every suit (if you are actually at fault, etc.) just if a regular patient sees the word "malpractice" we get scared. Sorry, no insult intended. But people do google their doctor's names (we aren't going to waste time perusing hundreds of videos to see if this guy is open about the suits)
***** Dr Oller, Thank you for taking time to create your videos and website. I am currently an RN near completion of my NP, and have found your videos extremely educational and informative. I have been an ER nurse for many years and have an interest in working in emergency medicine once completed. I as everyone else can see you are knowledgeable and have good clinical judgement and rapport. I have seen and heard of many excellent health care providers being sued for BS reasons over the years. Any advice you can give us, (providers and future providers) to help us avoid lawsuits and legal issues while practicing in the emergency room and medicine in general?
doc, whats your opinion on sprague rappaport stethoscope? i am think of buying one from mdf but i heard that the 2 tubing system cause acoustic interference. hope u can help and thanks in advance :)
aaaah los americanos... piensan que la tecnologia lo resuelve todo, que tal si vives en un pais o estas en un hospital en el que no tienes todo eso que el dice? yo creo que el estetoscopio ayuda mucho a acercarte a un diagnostico
The disposable stethoscopes are trashy I would get a Littmann Classic II S.E, Littmann Classic III, Littmann Cardiology III, Or Littmann Cardiology IV.
Those disposable stethoscopes are CRAP. You can't hear anything. I gave one to my brother and he also said it didn't work. He is a MECHANIC. I use the Littmann Cardiology III and it works SO well. I abuse it daily, carry it in my cargo pocket, and store it in my metal clipboard. It keeps on doing what it's gotta do and it does it well. P.S. Did you notice the DUCT TAPE on his stethoscope? Is he working in the slums of Brazil or something?
hello sir. i really love your video. sir i am an indian student i am going to Tbilisi Medical Academy, Georgia(Europe) for my 6 year MD course. sir i want your advice actually i want to ask you some question related to that matter so sir please give me your gmail id . thank you.
I've used a Littman Classic II throughout my 4 years as a medical student. It even had my name engraved in the bell. I loved it and swore by it. I finally lost it in my second year of residency. I'm an anesthesia resident so the heart and lung exam is among the only things I reliably need to do. I recently purchased an MDF MD one stethoscope and found the build quality and performance far superior than my Littman classic II and it only costs $55. I think that purchase strikes a balance between a performance stethoscope and not being too much of a burden on the wallet. I hated using that disposable one when my classic went missing.
I will have to disagree with your advice for medical students and those who are just learning to hear lung sounds. They should have a good stethoscope so they can learn to hear the lung and heart sounds at their most optimal. If I had to do it all over again, I would of used a Littman cardio III throughout my medical school. If you need a budget scope, the MDF MD One performs just short of the cardio III while being about 70% cheaper.
Great video to bring up the topic though. Losing your stethoscope in certain fields is much more common than others.
You are wrong about the importance of a good stethoscope. It is vital in the EMS field to make snap decisions so that we can give an accurate report to you docs. Its saved lives more than i can count.
The most important advice I can give to a novice student is: don't buy the single lumen. Buy the double lumen. Why? Basically there are two factors which are important in listening to heart sounds: experience of the doctor and the quality of the stethoscope. As a novice doctor your experience in listening is not as good, so the best thing is to buy the best equipment.
Try them and you will hear that the double lumen is far more louder than the single lumen. You can hear a heart murmur through a sweater, which is not possible with a single lumen. Because as a novice doctor you are not yet experienced in listening to the hartsounds. That's why it is very important to have a better stethoscope. It is expensive but worth the money.
bmwforlife461 I
I saw one of your stethoscopes with the brand of the company I work for. It's also true that some lower priced stethoscopes can sound better than the more expensive ones.
It's not the stethoscope who hears things, it should be you. Your ear is the one that matters the most. Littman is only a class symbol, it shows that you are rich enough to buy it, it is not necessary.
I hear you and I get it...
But I still am getting the MasterCardiology!
In 24 years (4 years as a student, 20 as a physician) I owned only two stethoscopes: First one was a Littman Master Cardiology, which after 12 years was so worn down I had to buy a new one. The new one was a Littman Cardiology III which I still use today. I can't understand how one can loose his stethoscop?
Yes sir, speaking the truth. ER/CC RN here and I have buddies straight outta school that go for the Cardio III, yada yada and it either breaks or goes missing. Seen it too many times. I use a 10 yr old $30 Littmann my wife used in nursing school and I can hear everything I need to. It has value, but more so sentimental, being my wife's.
This reinforces what I've always felt. a 25 dollar stethoscope with GOOD earpieces is just fine.
Great job in explaining why an inexpensive stethoscope can get one by
I have a Sprague Rappaport that i've had since i started in EMS at the age of 14, I recently replaced it as I disliked that it was heavy and too short for me to do my patient assessments. I currently use an ADC Adscope 609 which i was impressed on how light it was and the quality of sound!
Unless you are a nurse, like me, who constantly monitors patients. A good stethoscope is priceless. Especially to patients whom forgo the expense of intubation due to a diligent nurse recognizing the early signs of respiratory distress.
The littmann electronic stethoscope is best needed on an ambulance where you have noises and sounds all around you. That's where the noise cancellation and amplification works best.
agree with Dr carlo the most important piece in the stethoscope are ear pieces comfortable and good seal
+maad islim Which do you recommend? I think you are right but do not know which brand has best.
+Jane Smith american brand lithman is excellent
ok, my GF is in PGY now and she's saying that every Stet will do, just make sure that earpieces sit well. Now I'm convinced!
I've never lost mine and I've had it for 5 years.
Doc, you should know there are many environments which do not have electronic diagnostics immediately available. What about nursing homes or rehab centers, or Alaska or Africa where facilities are hundreds of miles away. Its cozy to think MRIs and CT machines are only on the next floor. But I can't agree with you that the stethoscope ls no longer is a useful tool. You need to experience health care outside of a hospital.
+DrER.tv how did it go? And in response to the original comment: yeah i do emt work until i finish college then medical school and i use a stethoscope for everything some people think its stupid when you see an emt with a stethoscope but it gets used so much its crazy
I was looking for some advice for buying my very first stethoscope and i found your advice quite useful. its only a bonus that im going to RCM also. Saludos desde Puerto Rico. Exito! Y lo de las demandas, nosotros somos humanos. Es cuestion de aprender de nuestros errores y como tu dices mantenerse humilde, cuestion de siempre estar dispuesto a aprender! :D
Very correct about the first...got mine for over 200 pounds and diaphragm pops off tooo...not used up to 5 times...back to my litmann classic
My Littman tubing cracked and I wasn't able to replace it immediately. I pulled off my Littman bell and shoved it into the disposable stethoscope tubing. Worked well enough to get me by.
I never owned a littman. I have been so used to using the generic ones that I'm afraid I would not be able to adjust with the littman ones.
very nice and practical bro...thanks :)
Awesome :) I'm not at Inter Metro and hopecully I can do my doctorate there :)
I agree with you about cheap stethoscopes, in the environment you work in they are more likely to break or be stolen. Maxiscope is a good stethoscope, costs $40 with excellent acoustics. Even better is the allheart cardiology, it's just as good, even BETTER imho to the Maxiscope, and it costs $25 regular price, but it's frequently on sale for $20 or less. You can buy a bunch of them for the price of one ultrsacope(@$99), or Litmann.
Always been curious about that allheart cardiology, but it's near impossible to find any sort of reliable review on it.
But patients like docs to do something and part of this is auscalation of the heart, vessels, lungs and abdomen.
And it looks good for the doc.
I only buy MDF Instruments. Great quality and they feel nice!
Contact Littman they stand behind their product.
true , you don't stethoscopes if your hospital is well equipped , sadly this is not the case
Mark Anthony's Outlet carries them!
what about scopes for EMT? I am a student and was looking for what scope to buy when I found this vid, will the cheapies work for me on the truck?
I use Little Doctor stethoscope very good also and the sound is good
Excellent.
Maxiscope by ultrascope...simply the best for field use. Better price and better sound than a comparable littmann.
Wow! How can you say that you can listen well with the disposable stethoscope you are showing. I am using the same one temporarily as my Littman one just broke (the tube) and I can tell you that it is awful, you can barely hear anything. It's like a toy stethoscope to me....
Well for the littman "amplifier" kind of stethoscope, that's what happens when you depend on the engineers too much😂😂😂😂😂😂.
admit or home. triage mentality
I'm a Littman girl best worth every penny!
Huh very interesting perspective.
You lose them? What happened to engraving?????
Carlo I agree with you I have a cheap single head stethoscope which works fine for me for EMT use plus if it gets lost you can replace it cheaply. Litttmann are over rated in my opinion
For a student hard of hearing, what would be the best stethoscope for me?
From what this guy says in that a cheapo disposable with good ear pieces works and that may not even be needed when you can clearly hear the patient coughing or wheezing, diagnostic testing advancements we have today... God help his patients. Speaking as an ER RN, a great stethoscope has proven invaluable especially when time is of importance. I'm glad he doesn't work along side me. Side note: learn how to pronounce medical terms "bruits"
Alright so I just bought a Littman Cardi 3 for EMT school. I know it was expensive and all but how would you rate the stethoscope overall?
The Cardiology III is an excellent stethoscope and I trust it to help me listen to BPs, lung sounds, bowel sounds, and heart sounds when I'm in the back of the truck going down the road or in the house with the pt and their loud ass family members.
I also bought it and it's great. I bought the name tag with it so even if I were to misplace it, it has my name and phone number.
Thanks!
Very true
Dude, this guy has a bunch of malpractice suits against him... just google him. Damn, that's why residencies prefer if you went to school INSIDE the U.S. and not in the other U.S. entities like Peurto Rico, Virgin Islands or foreign countries.
***** I'm just saying, a regular person like me who sees the suits won't go to you for medical opinions. You might be a great doctor and respected by your peers, but people are scared to find this out. Nobody has time to learn the specifics for every suit (if you are actually at fault, etc.) just if a regular patient sees the word "malpractice" we get scared. Sorry, no insult intended. But people do google their doctor's names (we aren't going to waste time perusing hundreds of videos to see if this guy is open about the suits)
*****
Dr Oller, Thank you for taking time to create your videos and website. I am currently an RN near completion of my NP, and have found your videos extremely educational and informative. I have been an ER nurse for many years and have an interest in working in emergency medicine once completed. I as everyone else can see you are knowledgeable and have good clinical judgement and rapport. I have seen and heard of many excellent health care providers being sued for BS reasons over the years. Any advice you can give us, (providers and future providers) to help us avoid lawsuits and legal issues while practicing in the emergency room and medicine in general?
Thank you! Good information passed with a charming accent. :)
doc, whats your opinion on sprague rappaport stethoscope? i am think of buying one from mdf but i heard that the 2 tubing system cause acoustic interference. hope u can help and thanks in advance :)
They’re crap, never get them :p
They work fine. He shows a sprague in the video. The MDF sprague is good.
what stethoscope is better for someone who use it occasionally like surgeons,,, classic ii or iii
+theedexitvideo haha great reply
UPR Med as in Universidad de Puerto Rico Medicina???
Haha only in the ED can you get away with the isolation stethoscope.
aaaah los americanos... piensan que la tecnologia lo resuelve todo, que tal si vives en un pais o estas en un hospital en el que no tienes todo eso que el dice? yo creo que el estetoscopio ayuda mucho a acercarte a un diagnostico
The Steth's dead. Long live the Steth. Welcome evidence based medicine.
The disposable stethoscopes are trashy I would get a Littmann Classic II S.E, Littmann Classic III, Littmann Cardiology III, Or Littmann Cardiology IV.
Those disposable stethoscopes are CRAP. You can't hear anything. I gave one to my brother and he also said it didn't work. He is a MECHANIC. I use the Littmann Cardiology III and it works SO well. I abuse it daily, carry it in my cargo pocket, and store it in my metal clipboard. It keeps on doing what it's gotta do and it does it well.
P.S. Did you notice the DUCT TAPE on his stethoscope? Is he working in the slums of Brazil or something?
great advice thanks alot! i was about to spend my piggy bank on a cardio iii guess ii will just do fine lol
You look like Jared from Subway
Feel Team Six lmaaoo
hello sir.
i really love your video.
sir i am an indian student i am going to Tbilisi Medical Academy, Georgia(Europe) for my 6 year MD course.
sir i want your advice actually i want to ask you some question related to that matter so sir please give me your gmail id .
thank you.
Very true