Littmann Electronic Stethoscope lets docs record, analyze heart rhythm
By Vladislav Savov 
posted Aug 21st 2009 3:26AM
posted Aug 21st 2009 3:26AM
[Via MSN Money; Thanks, Will]
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Great... easy for me to record my beats.
I loooove Littmann stethoscopes. Unfortunately, with my student budget I can only afford the cheapest one :(
not as price as you think given that ur brand new littman cardiology III is like $170
I just bought a cardio 3 for $135... Group purchase by me and fellow med school students at my school... UMDNJ-SOM
I bought mine online for $135 (no group discount and engraving included). Of course, a week later my school bought the entire class another, so now I have 2. I've heard these electronic ones are pretty amazing though.
i got my Littmann Master Classic II all black edition for around $130
cardio ones were more expensive at the time.
my friend owns the one mentioned above, got it as part of a grant of some sort to help poor students. tried it once, so am not the best judge, didn't think it was that hot.
though i guess the ability to record can be quite helpful if the quality is good when it comes time to revising, build a database of sounds and such.
It also injects nano particles into your bloodstream that alter you into a government drone.
yea nice try, nanoparticles don't do that. jokes only conceal part of your ignorance. the other half has its pants down, fully exposed but doesn't know it
these have existed before, and are basically useless.
Stethoscopes can tell you if there is an irregularity, and docs can figure it out, usually on the spot. I doubt this will help. But it doesn't matter. Any time you hear a murmur thats serious enough that you need to figure it out, the patient get an echocardiogram that lets you see the heart beat. And there's no way this thing is more accurate than an echocardiogram. So why waste time and money on this? The recording would be useful for three things only
1. teaching
2. Email to cardiologist
3.Increase in specificity for diagnosing patients who can't afford an echocardiogram. Hopefully they can afford their meds though.
Show me a stethoscope that can record and transmit an EKG and I'll be impressed.
Ok...You have no idea what you're talking about. Echocardiogram and EKG/ECG are not the same. ECG stands for electrocardiogram. An ECG records electrical impulses, whereas an echocardiogram is basically an ultrasound of the heart giving you an image of it.
Red,
We have no idea where innovation will arise from. Some of the most interesting innovations in any given industry arise when technology from another industry crosses over. I think you are quite bold to suggest that this 3M's product is a waste of money. 3M after all invented duct tape, and then, when some desperate person wrapped his genital-wart-covered penis with that duct tape, 3M noticed there were positive results and they developed a glue-based treatment for HPV know by the brand name of Aldara. So, will all due respect to you poopie-pants pessimism, I'll give 3M the benefit of the doubt.
@ImpulGen:
He didn't say an echo and an EKG are the same thing. He said an echo lets you see the heart beat, which it does. He also said that a stethoscope that has the ability to record and transmit an EKG would be useful. You said an echo is basically an ultrasound of the heart. An echo IS an ultrasound of the heart, so basically you don't know what you're talking about either.
A friend of mine helped a professor on a project that used adaptive audio analysis to hear heart murmurers in digital recordings that couldn't normally be heard by human ears. It was a really cool project that aided in early detection of heart defects that could be troublesome in the future and early detection is always a good thing.
Any recording or digitization of things that normally rely solely on the human senses of doctors that can be rechecked by computers is always more helpful than hurtful. $379 is a drop in the bucket compared to a human life.
it should have touch screen panel, inbuilt iphone, ipod, i..........
I want an earphone that looks like that :D
Yeah, there was a Bluetooth headset on here a few days ago that looked like a stethoscope.
All the tech & price but it is still ice cold to the skin. It should automatically warm itself to body temp !
Product page says: "...non-chill diaphragm keeps your patients comfortable as you auscultate."
That counts for somethin'!
Littmann has had electronic stethoscopes that has ANR, amplification, and records for quite a while now... I have had my Littmann 4100WS for well over a year now... It looks like the only difference between the one that I have and the one Engadget is reporting on is the fact that this transmits via Bluetooth instead of IrDA, as mine does... I must say that I like the new display. Hopefully Littmann comes up with software for the iPhone! For more information on the new model, go to http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Littmann_3100_3200/stethoscope/#Model3200
After a brief overview of the site, it looks as though what was the 4100WS model has now become the 3200 model...
ADC has one that is half the price without bluetooth though. 657BK - http://www.adctoday.com/ecatalog/catpage.php?itemnum=657BK
Littmann are pretty quality though but the earbuds on any ADC stephoscope are better I think. Should try them if you have budget constraints/are a student.
And as usual, all electronic aides on stethoscopes will continue to be banned in the various licensing and board exams we're required to take. Quite frankly, steths with electronic aides are questionable at best and useless at worst. Call me old fashioned but I'd much prefer to have another (more appropriate) test done if there is suspicion of something sinister that I can't detect with my ears alone.
Nurses, not doctors, take vitals, ie. stethoscope, before the patient sees the doctor. I don't see shelling $379 for nurses to use it.
Littmann just released the 3200 this week. It's nearly identical to the 3100, but it has bluetooth technology! I'm getting one engraved with my name.
Can we keep things like these out of the hands of medical students, interns and even some residents.
Doctors nowadays seem to be so reliant on technology they've lost the "clinical eye". While I appreciate the need for innovation, gadgets like these (as well as secondary tests and opinions) should confirm and coroborate not decide a clinician's diagnosis.
You want to improve the stethoscope, how about an earpiece that would allow me to keep it in my ear for more than 20 min. without getting uncomfortable. Rubber tubing that does not get brittle or hard with age or being exposed to extremes in temperature. A self heating/sterilizing diaphragm.
@justit
Doctors don't take vitals? You're a fool. Don't speak to that of which you don't know. Do you think physicians carry stethescopes around their necks to look cool like the nurses? LOL. Not only do they take vitals "like nurses" (and medical assistants for that matter), they actually understand their significance down to the molecular level, unlike nurses who are trained to "nurse" (not diagnose) and have a relatively superficial understanding of physiological and biochemical processes.
I'm getting really sick of the irritating crap shows like Mercy, Hawthorne, etc put into the peoples minds about how nurses are essentially underpaid physicians. There is a MASSIVE difference between even a nurse practitioner's knowledge and a physicians knowledge and understanding.
That is a pretty generalized statement that nurses have a "relatively superficial understanding of physiological and biochemical processes!!!" I will admit that this is the case for some nurses, but not for every nurse. Personally, I have taken many histology and advanced level pathophysiology, biochemistry, and organic chemistry classes, as have many other nurses in the CTICU that I work in... I am not denying that physicians have more schooling than myself, or most nurses for that matter; however, to generalize like this is not acceptable. Trust me, I have saved many a physician's asses before when they are rotating on our unit!!! And, you are right, we cannot diagnose, because as an RN, it is not in our scope of practice; however, I have suggested many diagnoses that have turned out to be correct, even when an experienced physician was the client's attending...
Now, on to the comment about "Doctors nowadays seem to be so reliant on technology they've lost the "clinical eye"." Please keep in mind that personally, I purchased my Littmann because I have difficulty hearing and this stethescope has ANR and amplification; therefore, I can hear sounds that I might not normally pick up (I have done many comparisons between my 4100WS and Master Cardiology and I can ALWAYS hear better with the 4100WS). Plus I can record these sounds and play them back later and use them as educational purposes... But I'm just a nurse, so what do I know about heart or lung sounds???
@CromwellD
Well, "relatively superficial" is all a matter of perspective I guess. From the perspective of a CNA the average RN is exceptional in their knowledge of the basic science. From the perspective of a physician that's definitely not the case. Introductory level science courses required for nursing students to enter nursing school don't qualify as anything more than "relatively superficial". And, relative to what a physician learns in medical school, any form of nurse you can think of has a "relatively superficial" understanding of the medical sciences. It's a perfectly fair description.
And, physicians have more schooling [relevant to practicing and understanding medicine] than "all" nurses (not "some" as you say)-- except for the very few nurses that may have decided to nurse after practicing medicine as a board certified physician (I've never heard of it, but it's possible).
In addition, I'm sure a physician has had his ass saved by many people, not just nurses. That goes for everyone. Physicians are people, and they make mistakes.
As far as diagnoses are concerned, all nurses will eventually learn to make diagnoses. Hell, my mom does nails and she was pleased to report to me that she pegged appendicitis just the other day. But, I don't think she deserves an honorary MD for it.
Lastly, don't get me wrong. I've become generally irritated by a lot of the crap the ANA is doing because, frankly, it's deceptive and dangerous to the public. But, I have a healthy respect and appreciation for everybody from the janitor to the neurosurgeon. As a nurse, you know plenty about health care. Just don't be one of the nurses who has decided to graduate themselves to the level of underpaid physician because you spent some time in the hospital. If you've ever talk to a nurse turned physician before, they'll tell you that it was scary what they didn't realize that they didn't know.
As the grand daughter of Dr. David Littmann, let me say, "He would be proud". I am also a nurse and only use a Littmann. They truly are the best. I remember as a child going into his basement in Boston and watching him tinker with all of his equipment, trying to build and design something new. (That and the scary skeleton that hung in the corner.) He was an awesome man. I am proud remember his legacy.
I have been trying to decide between the 3100 and the 3200. I have found both on-line and I am trying to work out the best place to buy it from. I guess that it is the same product regardless of the store. I have found the 3200 at a store called medisave http://www.medisave.net/littmann-stethoscope-model-3200-stethoscope-c-21_182.html and they seem to have pretty good price with free engraving and shipping for around $10. I have seen other stores sell it cheaper but they charge for the engraving and their shipping costs more as well.
Oh and having looked at the 4100 and the 3200, the 3200 can record up to 29 seconds and the 4100 only records 7 seconds. The 3200 shows the heart rate and reduces more ambient noise and has a greater amplification than the 4100. The 4100 is also a LOT more expensive- so definitely not one for a struggling junior!
If anyone has any feedback about the 3200 and the best place to buy it, that would be great.
Thanks
These state-of-the-art stethoscopes are available on-line directly from 3M at http://www.shop3m.com/3m-littmann-electronic-stethoscope-model-3200.html.