I just bought a Littmann Cardiology III Stethoscope!

To properly learn how to diagnose and better understand disease symptoms, medical students are required to purchase a stethoscope. While many of my peers chose to find cheaper alternatives, I decided to buy a high-end stethoscope instead.

After having used the Littmann Cardiology III stethoscope for a few days, I am convinced that I made the best possible decision. While it certainly set me back a few euros, having a reliable and well-performing piece of equipment is well worth the cost.

In the following sections, I’ll show you exactly why the Littmann Cardiology III stethoscope was such a great purchase, and why all medical students should consider investing in one.

History of Littmann Stethoscopes

Whenever I purchase something, I like to know the brand history. I’ve found that products with reliable, proven histories tend to produce equally solid, proven performance.

Since I already recognized the Littmann name, this part was easy. In fact, there’s hardly a medical student out there that wouldn’t. Although stethoscopes have been around since the early 18^th century, it was Dr. Littmann who created a revolutionary design, defining the function and efficiency of the modern stethoscope.

As a cardiologist, Littmann was in a great position to reinvent the stethoscope. His design brought the medical community the traditional 3M stethoscope, featuring an open chestpiece for identifying lower pitches, a closed chestpiece for filtering low pitches, firm tubing, and a spring to separate each earpiece. Want to know more? Visit their official page.

After years of success and expanding innovation, the Cardiology III stethoscope was born. With it, examinations became quicker, more comfortable, and more accurate.

Littmann Cardiology III Stethoscope: The Basics

Aside from the company history, there are a few key features of the Cardiology III stethoscope that convinced me that I was much better off purchasing a high-end stethoscope, rather than a cheaper version. The Littmann Cardiology III stethoscope comes with the following features:

·       Tunable diaphragm: Use light pressure for low-frequency sounds, and increased pressure to hear high-frequency sounds. Top-notch sound quality. In fact, according to Stethoscopes.ninja the Cardiology III has a grade 9/10 accoustic performance! 

·       Non-chill rim: An essential feature for patient comfort. If you haven’t started seeing patients yet, you’ll understand how important this is in no time.

·       Adjustable headset: This applies to the tension as well as the ear tips, making it easy to find a customizable fit. The gel-like tips provide clear sound, and they’re perfect for canceling noise and focusing on breaths.

(One thing to keep in mind: the ear tips are supposed to snap firmly onto the tubes. Removing them is going to take some considerable effort.)

·       Resilient tubing: The next-generation tubing increases the life of the stethoscope, making it resistant to skin oils, alcohol, and staining. For a medical student, that’s a great sign. Although the cost is considerably higher, it’s a piece of equipment that can last throughout the rest of university and beyond.

As an additional benefit, the stethoscope came with a five-year warranty, which really helped put my mind at ease. It’s nice to know that I’ll be able to rely on this piece of equipment throughout the next few years.

I’ve also noticed that the weight of the stethoscope seems perfectly suited for long-term use. It has just enough weight to know that it’s there, but not nearly enough to cause neck or shoulder strain.

Conclusion

Even in the first five years of study, one of the most valuable lessons that medical school has taught me is not to cut corners. When it comes to medical equipment, the last thing that you want to do is choose a low-quality option simply because it happens to be cheaper.

Efficient pathology requires equally efficient equipment, and in my opinion, the Littmann Cardiology III stethoscope is second to none. For a high-quality, dependable, and efficient stethoscope, all medical students should consider investing in the Littmann Cardiology III.