Welch Allyn also has a nice electronic stethoscope that I have found useful in the EMS environment as a long-time fire rescue paramedic.  Some of us old warhorses have some hearing loss that haunts us. While most EMS personnel typically can't listen for fine audible details in the field (way too much ambient noise), the electronic scope does assist us in listening to such signs as fine rales. Those coached and trained well enough to know what to listen for could probably hear abnormal heart sounds in more controlled sites as skilled nursing facilities or quiet residences. Even auscultating BP can sometimes be a challenge in pre-hospital settings, but we do so to ensure our automatic machines are in the same ballpark with the readings.  Confirmation of placement of ET tubes is one of our most important auscultation tasks. With lots of ambient noise during such critical events, having this volume control is very handy.

The nice features of the W/A scope is that the controls are at your finger tips with both bell and diaphragm settings on one side and the volume control underneath. Your hand holding the device doesn't need to leave the position on the patient to alter from bell to diaphragm or increase/decrease volume.  Typically in EMS, auscultation is a two-handed operation as our patients generally are not in a contolled environment, nor able to assist us in leaning forward or rolling to their sides.

This scope will also deactivate itself to conserve battery life. The battery is not a typical AA or AAA battery, so one may need to shop around to find it in a camera shop, but had no problem finding one locally.

For instructional settings, the scope has an electronic connection port that allows it to be attached into a junction box into which several other teaching scopes are plugged so that the students can hear what the instructor is listening to on actual patients. Those devices cost extra, of course.

The pricing is variable, according to where one buys it.  I used to be in EMS sales for a couple of years (back in the fire service now, riding a desk) and discounted them to my clients to less than $200 (EMS folks usually don't have much disposable income).  So, take a look at the W/A model if you are in the market for such scopes. It certainly helped my assessment abilities despite some hearing loss over the years from fire engine noises, sirens, and other loud events -- not to mention the rock band experiences of the 60's.

I have the Littman electronic stethoscope.  I purchased it for use as a teaching aid for medical residents and students.  I like that the heart sounds can be transferred to a  computer and one can create a library of common and not so common heart sounds.  You can get replay the heart sounds from the stethoscope after recording so that students and residents can hear just what you heard.

I didn't get the upgraded software for the Littman...I'd love to be able to play the sounds and have a graphic display of the heart sounds on a computer for education purposes. 

Acoustically, I think that the Littman electronic is just as good as my analog Littman scope.  Perhaps as presbyacusis becomes an issue, I may prefer the amplification of the electronic scopes.

Are there advantages to the Thinklab scope relative to the Littman for education and graphic display?

Frank 

I was asked to comment on the question about the teaching features of the Thinklabs Stethoscope.

Thinklabs has both software for the PC or Mac, and Apps for the iPhone (3G and 3GS as of this writing), iPod Touch and iPad. The software and the Apps enable you to plug the stethoscope into one of these devices and display the waveform and frequency spectrogram in real time, record the sounds, and save/email them for archiving, telemedicine, education, etc.

There are medical professionals in hundreds of academic institutions using Thinklabs stethoscopes in educational settings.

If any readers wish to provide ideas and needs for future stethoscopes, we have a feedback form on our website so that you can offer your input to the design process. Go to http://thinklabsmedical.com

This is not a forum for product promotion, but I was asked to respond so that readers would benefit from this information.

Clive Smith

CEO, Thinklabs Medical