Various Types of Stethoscopes

Stethoscopes have been used by medical professionals for a lot of years to listen to the various sounds of a body.

They are an absolutely intrinsic piece of equipment for all doctors and medical practitioners and the examination of any patient would be incomplete without a stethoscope. Stethoscopes can be used for human beings as well as animals.

Most commonly, this device is used to listen to the heart beats. However, stethoscopes can also be used to listen to sounds inside the veins, arteries, and intestines. There are basically five types of stethoscopes that are manufactured for the use of doctors and other medical practitioners. These include:

1. Acoustic Stethoscopes: This is the most commonly used stethoscope, which has a standard chest piece, hollow rubber tubes, and twin ear pieces. The chest piece has a diaphragm on one side and a bell or a hollow cup on the other side. Low frequency sounds can be heard through the bell and high frequency sounds can be heard through the diaphragm. However, using these stethoscopes can be a problem when hearing faint sounds or using them in places where there is a noisy environment.

2. Electronic Stethoscopes: A much newer form of stethoscope, an electronic stethoscope has the ability to amplify body sounds for the benefit of the listener. The acoustic waves are converted into electrical signals, which are then amplified and processed for enhanced hearing. Therefore, these stethoscopes are ideal for faint sounds and can easily be used in any type of environment. Such is the growing popularity of an electronic stethoscope that in very less time it will become the most commonly used stethoscope.

3. Noise Reduction Stethoscopes: These are also electronic stethoscopes with an added feature of noise reduction.

They have an ambient noise filtering system that passes the appropriate sounds and blocks the rest. Such a stethoscope is ideal for an environment that has a lot of noise.

4. Recordable Stethoscopes: An advanced technology electronic stethoscope, it has an interface and a cable that allows you to connect it to a recording device such as an iPod or laptop to record the direct audio output. You then have the option of playing back the recording at different speeds for further examination. Such a feature is extremely useful when there is need for further consultation or evaluation. Medical experts can also create sound graphs using the recorded sounds for particular cases.

5. Fetal Stethoscopes: This particular type of stethoscope finds use when examining pregnant women. One end of this stethoscope is shaped like a trumpet, which is placed on the abdomen of a pregnant woman to listen to the heart beats of the fetus. These stethoscopes are also referred to as fetoscopes or pinards. However, with the advancements in technology a replacement for fetal stethoscopes has been developed. This is termed as the electronic sonaid and is now commonly used by doctors across the world.

Such is the importance of a stethoscope that it has become a representation of the medical profession. You can recognize a doctor anywhere if he/she is wearing one of the stethoscopes.

A cardiology stethoscope is mainly used to listen to irregular heart beats or heart murmurs. . Irregular heart beats can be caused due to a number or reasons. To explore more about Cardiology stethoscope, electronic stethoscope and others, please visit our website.