How to Choose a Stethoscope

Try before buying a stethoscope

When you’re shopping for a stethoscope, there’s no substitute for trying out different stethoscopes. Ask colleagues if you can listen through their stethoscopes. (Of course, clean the eartips before and after use.)

Look at the features.

See if the headsets are easy or hard to adjust.

Chances are, a 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope will offer everything you’re looking for, and more.

Hear the difference

The ultimate test: How much can you hear? Slip on a Littmann stethoscope (make sure the eartips point toward your nose). Put the tunable diaphragm on your chest using light pressure. Hear your heartbeat? Notice how loud the sound is.

How much louder? More than four times louder. An internal 3M test showed that heart sounds heard through the adult diaphragm of a Littmann stethoscope were more than four times louder (20 dB) than the same sounds heard through a different brand of stethoscope. That’s like the difference between whispering and talking. It could be the critical difference between hearing something significant in a patient, or not hearing it at all.

After you’ve listened for yourself, listen to others. Read online reviews. Ask people who use Littmann stethoscopes. You’ll encounter story after story about people who depend on Littmann stethoscopes because they clearly hear the difference.

See the difference

Try this: Hold any stethoscope by its headset; let it hang vertically. Do you see distinct kinks or bends which can make the stethoscope hard to use? That indicates stiff tubing which can pull on eartips. Littmann stethoscope tubing hangs straight; it flexes easily as you examine a patient.

As you hold the headset, note how the eartubes cross. Littmann stethoscope eartubes are symmetrical for ideal eartip seal and comfort.

The headset should be adjustable for individual fit and comfort. The headset tension of all Littmann stethoscopes is easily adjusted by gently squeezing the eartubes together to increase tension, or pulling them apart to decrease tension.

Feel the difference

Run your fingers over the Littmann stethoscope snap tight eartips. They’re smooth to seal comfortably inside your ears without irritation.

Now try to pull one off the eartube. The eartips really do snap tight for maximum acoustic performance and safety.

Finally, feel the weight. Littmann stethoscopes are designed to feel light and comfortable when draped around your neck or carried in a pocket.

All the essential components, from chestpiece to eartips.

While we’re showing a 3M™ Littmann® Cardiology III™ Stethoscope in these examples, please note that all current Littmann stethoscopes (with the exception of electronic models) have similar components.

Chestpiece

Some Littmann stethoscope models have a one-sided chestpiece with a tunable diaphragm. Others have a two-sided chestpiece with a diaphragm on one side and a bell on the other. Some bells are always open, others are closed with a tunable diaphragm, depending on the model.

The larger diaphragm side is normally used for adult patients. The smaller-diameter bell is best for pediatric or thin patients, for maneuvering around bandages, and for carotid assessment. The closed bells on Littmann stethoscopes can be converted to traditional open bells by replacing the diaphragm with a nonchill bell sleeve or rim.

The stem connects the stethoscope tubing to the chestpiece. On Littmann stethoscopes with two-sided chestpieces, there can only be one acoustic path from the diaphragm to the eartips. Rotating the two-sided chestpiece on the stem selects or “indexes” which diaphragm is open to the acoustic path.

Tunable Diaphragm

Tunable diaphragm technology is a 3M invention that helps make auscultating a patient easier and more effective. It lets you hear different types of sounds by simply adjusting the amount of pressure you apply to the chestpiece of your 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope.

Nearly all Littmann stethoscopes feature at least one tunable diaphragm. (The exceptions: electronic, pediatric, and infant models.) Their tunable technology virtually eliminates the need to remove, turn over, and reposition the chestpiece just to hear different sounds.

While other stethoscope brands require unscrewing and changing diaphragms and bells, Littmann stethoscopes are all about ease and simplicity.

To hear low-frequency sounds, rest the chestpiece lightly on the patient. In this position, the diaphragm membrane is suspended, allowing it to resonate low-frequency sounds.

To hear high-frequency sounds, apply firm contact pressure to the chestpiece. By pressing on the chestpiece, the movement of the diaphragm membrane is restricted. This blocks (or attenuates) low-frequency sounds which allows you to hear higher-frequency sounds.

Tubing

Current Littmann stethoscopes feature next-generation tubing that provides improved resistance to skin oils and alcohol for longer tubing life. No natural rubber latex or phthalate plasticizers are used in the tubing or any other component—to help protect human health and the environment. All Littmann Cardiology stethoscopes have double lumen tubing: two sound paths inside one outer tube which helps eliminate the rubbing noise generated by traditional twin-tubed stethoscopes.

Headset and Eartubes

The headset is made up of two eartubes, tension springs and the eartips.

The eartubes are positioned at an anatomically correct angle, for a proper fit into your ear canals. The ribbed ends of the eartubes snap the eartips on tight for safety. Eartubes on a Littmann stethoscope are made of an aerospace aluminum alloy that provides both strength and lighter weight.

The headset tension is adjusted for individual fit and comfort by pulling the eartubes apart to reduce the tension, or squeezing them together (crossing them over) to increase tension.

Eartips

All Littmann stethoscopes are fitted with eartips that snap tight onto the eartubes for safety. (In fact, they require some effort to remove.) The durable, soft-sealing eartips provide an excellent acoustic seal and comfortable fit. The eartips are available in small and large sizes, and black and gray versions. Many Littmann stethoscope models come with an extra set of soft-sealing eartips and a pair of firm tips.